From 6.3 points per game to 15+4! No wonder James is obsessed with him, it is simply a replica of Bathir.

In the second game of the NBA Finals, the Thunder defeated the Pacers 123-107 at home, tied the big score to 1-1. This result is not surprising. Even if the Pacers passed the quasi-finals and won the Thunder first at home, in terms of overall strength, the Thunder still has the advantage. The initiative in this round of series is still in the hands of the Thunder. One thing that makes the Pacers uncomfortable is that the Thunder have almost the way to lead by about 20 points in every game, but the Pacers cannot reverse 20 points in each game. At the same time, Alexander has always been a problem that the Pacers are difficult to solve. And although it is said that the Pacers can play more people, in fact, there are quite a few Thunder. In this round of the series, the Pacers not only can't hold Alexander, but even fail to hold Caruso.

In this game, Caruso became the surprise soldier, played for 27 minutes, made 6 of 11 shots, made 4 of 8 three-pointers, made 4 of 4 free throws, scored 20 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, Legion Hoops posted a picture to praise Caruso's performance and wrote: "Caruso is such a tough guy. He made great contributions to the Thunder's winning." More importantly, Caruso's performance was praised by his opponent. Before this game, Pacers player Thomas Bryant said in an interview that Caruso was very difficult. He said: "It is a special experience to be able to compete with Caruso on the stage of the finals. My impression of him is that he is always the one who is the most desperate in the team. A player. Caruso carried the team on his shoulders and tried his best on both sides of the offense and defense, especially on the defensive end, he was always biting his opponent. I hope I will have a chance to continue to be teammates with him in the future. According to statistics, in this year's finals, Caruso played for the Thunder averaging 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1 block, with a shooting percentage of 47.4%, and a three-point shooting percentage of 41.7%. In the 2020 Finals, Caruso helped the Lakers win the championship and averaged 6.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 43.3% and a three-point shooting percentage of 37.5%. In a simple sentence, compared to the 2020 finals, Caruso in this year's finals is more mature and outstanding. He has completed his evolution, which may be something many people did not expect. You should know that the Lakers chose to give up Caruso, because they thought that his upper limit was reached. However, they did not expect that in almost five years since leaving the Lakers, Caruso has been slapping the Lakers management in the face, and it has also made the Lakers management regret it again and again.

Even Lakers star James praised Caruso in a recent show. James said that Caruso is one of his favorite teammates in his career. He said: "After the Thunder were on the bench, they had my favorite teammate Caruso in my career. He is the ultimate Swiss Army Knife player who can do anything. We have all seen his defensive matchups, such as Giannis and Jokic. He can also defend Edwards, Randall, and Murray. He is defending these people in this playoffs this year. If you look at his statistics after the game, he can probably have 5 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, but his plus or negative value will be +17. Their substitutes are Carson Wallace and Wiggins. They are on the bench. There will be no slack on the defensive end. "

James like Caruso so much. In fact, Caruso has always been the kind of player whose data cannot fully reflect his value. Caruso this season, especially Caruso in the finals, really reminds some of Bathir's who was in the Heat. Coincidentally, in the 2011-2012 season, Bathir's performance in the entire playoffs was not very good, but it started to show his might. In the five games between the Finals and the Thunder, Bathir made 15 of 26 three-pointers, averaged 11.6 points per game, making him the player with the most points besides the Big Three. At the same time, he also tangled with Durant on the defensive end, becoming an important contributor to the Heat's championship.

And now Caruso is really more and more like Bathir of the past. No wonder James likes him so much. If the Thunder really wins the championship this season and Battier wins the second championship in his career, it will be one of the most inspiring stories in the NBA. At the same time, I believe that the Lakers management will definitely regret giving up Caruso even more. If Caruso was still with the Lakers, maybe they would not have been eliminated early this year.