OKLAHOMA CITY — The Indiana Pacers started the NBA Finals by making the wrong type of history.
The Pacers committed 19 turnovers in the first half of Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night. It was the highest number of turnovers by a team before halftime of a postseason game during the league's digital play-by-play era, which goes back to the 1997 playoffs.
There has not been a 20-turnover first half in any NBA game since Nov. 17, 2007, when the New Jersey Nets — the franchise that now plays in Brooklyn — had that many in the first two quarters of what became a 91-87 loss to the Miami Heat.
The Pacers had nine turnovers in the first quarter, 10 more in the second. But they were only down 57-45 at the half, in part because Oklahoma City had turned the 19 Indiana giv