The Oklahoma City Thunder have earned a second chance to win their first title since relocating in 2008; 13 years later, they are back in the NBA Finals, and this time, they are as well-positioned as it gets to finally break through. However, their opponent, the Indiana Pacers, is no pushover. In fact, the Pacers have shown all playoffs long that they are a force to be reckoned with especially when they're perceived by many as the underdog.

With Tyrese Haliburton leading the way for the Pacers with his unselfishness, excellent execution, and pacey play, the Thunder will have to bring their A-game on defense to avoid Indiana from running a riot on them. The good news is that OKC has the personnel to deal with Haliburton, and Lu Dort intends to put the new-age Point God in the Dorture Chamber after recognizing just how incredible of a player the Pacers star truly is.

“He's a good player. He's their main guy, he has the ball a lot. My main thing the way I approach any matchup is I just got to make everything tough. It's not only me, it's the whole team. At the same time, a guy like that that can really get going, you just gotta throw a lot of stuff at him and make everything tough,” Dort said in his press conference days before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, via Clemente Almanza of the Thunder Wire.

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Slowing down the Pacers' high-octane offense is not an easy task, but the Thunder are as well-equipped as it gets to deal with them. In addition to Dort, they can also throw Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace at Haliburton, while the Pacers won't have any weak spots at all to target in screening actions, unlike in the previous three rounds.

Thunder's defense faces one last tough test in the Pacers

Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

All season long, the Thunder have been excellent on the defensive end. The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves ran out of steam in the end after Oklahoma City wore them down and forced plenty of turnovers; in this year's playoffs, OKC is forcing 20.8 deflections per game, and the Pacers will have to be very wary of their ability to just destroy teams in the passing lanes.

This Pacers team, however, will be prepared, and Haliburton certainly has it in him to execute their offense at the level that is required to beat the Thunder. Nonetheless, OKC did not get this far by taking their opponents lightly, so expect them to bring their best on defense on every possession as they look to claim their first title.