The Indiana Pacers had Game 3 in their grasp, until they didn’t. With a loud home crowd behind them, a double-digit halftime lead, and the momentum of a hot start, Tyrese Haliburton’s team looked poised to take control of the ECF. Instead, they crumbled under pressure, getting outscored 36-20 in the fourth quarter and falling 106-100.
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Watching the collapse unfold, franchise legend Jermaine O’Neal didn’t hold back, directing pointed criticism at the team’s effort, energy, and most notably, Haliburton’s lack of leadership when it mattered most.
O’Neal questioned Haliburton’s presence in key moments, noting how the All-Star guard faded as the game slipped away. O’Neal didn’t like the Pacers’ laid-back attitude in the second half, when they were in a comfortable position to close out the game. He believes that even the crowd wasn’t as excited, making it a dull second half overall.
O’Neal noted that in these moments, Haliburton tends to take the backseat, which is not ideal for a leader. “He made a shot or two, but I think, for the most part, the energy was low. And they didn’t compete when the Knicks did in the fourth,” O’Neal said on Nightcap.
According to O’Neal, the passive approach from Haliburton mirrored a broader issue: Indiana simply didn’t show up in the second half. Haliburton finished the game with 20 points, four rebounds, and six assists. No other Pacer scored 20 points or more in the game. The Knicks, on the other hand, were better prepared despite being on the verge of losing the third straight game.
The Pacers had a 13-point lead at halftime and maintained a 10-point cushion heading into the fourth. But as Karl-Anthony Towns exploded for 20 fourth-quarter points and New York ramped up their defensive pressure, Indiana appeared flat and overwhelmed.
He also noted how a failure to match the Knicks’ urgency cost Indiana the game. Even with the loss, the Pacers are in a 2-1 lead in the series. But if Game 3 was any indication of what the remaining games are going to be like, the Pacers have some serious issues to solve. The two teams will meet again for Game 4 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
