Is there any player in the NBA who’s seen their stock rise higher in this postseason than Tyrese Haliburton? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has solidified why he won his first MVP. Anthony Edwards led the Wolves to back-to-back conference finals for the first time in franchise history. But Haliburton has taken the absurd notion that he’s overrated and used it as fuel to help his Pacers make a Finals run that has been as dominant as it has been unlikely.
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Hali has had at least one signature moment in every round of the playoffs. He possibly hit the last nail in the coffin for the Giannis era in Milwaukee with a go-ahead layup in the waning moments of Game 5. He stunned the East-leading Cavs with a last-second 3 less than a week later in Game 2. Against the Knicks, he helped orchestrate an unbelievable comeback in Game 1, capping it off by mimicking Reggie Miller’s iconic choke celebration.
The pace with which Haliburton plays, his court vision, his assist-to-turnover ratio, and his sense of the moment have all made for a magical run. The Pacers go where their point guard takes them, and that’s why they’re in the NBA Finals.
LeBron James and Steve Nash spoke about Haliburton’s virtues on Mind the Game, and LeBron revealed that he could see all the Pacers’ star’s special qualities when the two were teammates in this past summer’s Olympics.
“Just a great person, man. A great kid,” LeBron said to describe Haliburton. “Didn’t matter if he was playing or if he got the opportunity, he was the same guy every single day. And you could see that his mainframe was soaking in all the knowledge and the details, being around all of us. He was just super appreciative every single day. Never changed his mood.”
LeBron’s words confirm what the outside world saw, because even though Haliburton was mostly relegated to the bench as Team USA made its gold medal run, there may not have been a single Olympian who had a better time than he did in the City of Lights.
Haliburton averaged less than nine minutes per game as Team USA went 6-0, easily the fewest on the team. He was still all smiles and jokes as he basked in the glow of becoming an Olympic champion, though.
When you ain’t do nun on the group project and still get an A pic.twitter.com/xpshYZhMyA
— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) August 10, 2024
LeBron described Haliburton as “joking, laughing, always high-spirited,” but that sunshiny demeanor has belied a true competitor who plays with a massive chip on his shoulder. Haliburton tweeted “Overrate THAT,” after he finished off the Bucks, then put actor and Knicks superfan Ben Stiller in a body bag with this gem after taking the Knicks out in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
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Nash, whose “7 seconds or less” Suns have been compared to this year’s Pacers, unsurprisingly loves what he’s seen from Haliburton and Indiana. He said, “I look at all the things the Pacers are doing offensively and think, ‘This is possibly the future of NBA offense.'”
The Thunder are the heavy betting favorites in the Finals, but Indiana’s pace and style are going to make for a compelling matchup against OKC’s league-best defense. In boxing, they say that styles make fights, and we have a compelling clash of styles in the Finals. Game 1 tips off tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
