2 positives, 2 negatives from Indiana Pacers win vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Positive: Tyrese Haliburton is clutch, and he knows it

My oh my, Tyrese Haliburton has done it again,

Following a relatively slow first three quarters where he put up 10 points on 3/11 shooting, Haliburton exploded in the fourth quarter to the tune of 11 points and three straight three-pointers in the clutch, with each one putting a dagger in the hearts of Cavaliers fans.

While Haliburton is no stranger to clutch performances following his game-winners against Chicago and Miami last season, the big talking point here was how vocal he was to the crowd.

Sure, Tyrese has jawed with players before, most notably Patrick Beverley in that Bulls game, but this was the first time that I have seen him jaw-jacking with fans specifically.

Following the three-point barrage at the ending stages of the game, Haliburton turned to a Cavaliers fan sitting courtside and told him, “This is your fault. You did this!”

As a Indiana Pacers fan, it is very exciting seeing Haliburton more vocal on the court, not only to his teammates and his supporters but to his detractors. It seems as if, following the Beverley interaction, Haliburton got more confident with his play and decided to let the people know whether they wanted to or not.

This is also very exciting, as trash talk runs in the blood of the Indiana Pacers. As we know, Reggie Miller was one of the greatest trash talkers of all time, famously gesturing the “choke” signal to Spike Lee after scoring eight points in nine seconds at Madison Square Garden. Judging from the comment to the fan courtside, it seems as if the trash-talking tradition is safe in the hands of the Pacers’ newest star.

Not bad for a guy who at first wasn’t evenguaranteed to play tonight at first.