Carlisle officially announced the bad news! Walker is reimbursed, Pacers forward is in a hurry, and Tohei Sei last hope

On June 16, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle confirmed at a pre-match press conference that substitute forward Jares Walker was highly likely to miss the remaining games of the finals due to a sprained right ankle.

This news is undoubtedly a major blow to the Pacers who currently tied 2-2 with the Thunder.

Walker has been out of the game due to injury since the finals. Carlisle said: "He is recovering well now and no longer has to use crutches, but he still has a slight limp when walking. Therefore, the possibility of his return in this series is very small."

Although Walker's injury has improved, he obviously cannot catch up with the upcoming life-and-death battle of the G5.

This season's regular season, Walker played an important role on the Pacers' bench, averaging 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, and a three-point shooting percentage of up to 40.5%, which is an important firepower point for the team's outside.

However, after entering the playoffs, Carlisle shortened the rotation and Walker's average time dropped to 9.8 minutes, but he still provides stable defense and space support for a limited time.

What is more worthy of attention is Walker's defensive ability. He is 2.06 meters tall, has excellent arm-span, has the ability to switch defenses to multiple positions, and can effectively limit the opponent's forward core. Now that he is absent due to injury, the Pacers will face greater pressure on the rotation of the forward defense.

With Walker absent, Obie Topin became the key backup in the Pacers' frontcourt.

This season's playoffs, Totto averaged 11.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists, with a three-point shooting percentage of 34%, and made a key three-pointer in G1 to help the Pacers reverse the Thunder.

However, Topin's performance was not stable - when G5 against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, he had a plus-minus value of -26, 4 shots from 10 shots and 07 of 4 three-pointers. In the finals G4, he scored only 8 points, but failed to continue the amazing performance of G1. Now that Walker is confirmed to be absent, whether Toppin can break out again in G5 will be the key to whether the Pacers can regain their home advantage.

The series is currently tied 2-2, and the G5 will start at 8:30 am on June 17, which is undoubtedly a life-and-death battle that determines the trend of the series.

After the lack of Walker, Carlisle may further adjust his tactics to increase the playing time of core players such as Halliburton and Mathering, while tapping the potential of other substitutes. The Thunder will inevitably formulate corresponding offensive strategies for personnel changes in the Pacers' forward line.

Can Toping stand up? Can McConnell continue to play the role of the surprise? All suspense will be revealed in G5!