The Indiana Pacers are just one game away from securing an NBA Finals appearance. Tyrese Haliburton finished with a classic performance en route to Indiana’s massive Game 4 victory. His level of play has led to comparisons to the legendary Magic Johnson. Regardless, Stephen A. Smith refuses to grant Haliburton the title of “superstar.”
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Indiana had to bounce back from their Game 3 collapse just a couple of nights ago. They were up by as much as 20 points against the New York Knicks but lost due to a fourth-quarter frenzy by Karl-Anthony Towns. Game 4 could easily make or break the series for the Pacers.
Haliburton understood the implications and took matters into his own hands. He put forth a historic performance, finishing with 32 points, 12 rebounds, 15 assists and 0 turnovers. He became the first player in NBA Playoff history to have those statistics in a game. That performance certainly seems enough to define “superstar,” but Stephen A. wants more.
Smith’s First Take cohost Jay Williams, however, doesn’t just believe Haliburton’s performance is superstar-like but thinks it resembles that of a particular Hall-of-Famer. “When you watch [Tyrese Haliburton] play, there are flashes of Magic,” Williams said on ESPN’s Get Up.
Williams then boldly declared, “Anybody who doesn’t believe Tyrese Haliburton is a superstar doesn’t need to be talking basketball.”
The comment may have been a direct shot at Smith, who has infamously stated he doesn’t believe Haliburton is at that level, and the two-time All-Star’s stellar performance didn’t change his opinion.
“When I think about a superstar, I’m thinking about you being a consistent number one option that teams have to game plan against every single night,” Smith said. “To me, that hasn’t always been Tyrese Haliburton.”
Smith has a point, since Haliburton struggled to find his footing in the regular season. He has certainly played like a superstar during the postseason, but that still isn’t enough consistency to convince SAS.
Stephen A. does believe Knicks guard Jalen Brunson deserves the superstar title. Individually, Brunson has been tremendous for the Knicks, but it hasn’t translated to team success.
Regardless of Smith’s assessment of Haliburton, the Pacers hold a 3-1 lead over the Knicks. The 25-year-old has his eyes on something greater than a personal title: an NBA title.
