Breaking down Indiana Pacers unlikely In-Season Tournament run step by step

The Indiana Pacers In-Season Tournament run has unfortunately come to an end at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers, and what a run it was. For six straight tourney games, Tyrese Haliburton and company put the NBA world on notice for reasons other than their bright neon blue courts.

The Pacers came out of nowhere and shocked fans with their incredible display of team basketball led by one of the best offensive engines in the league.

Going into the tournament, Pacers fans opinions were mixed. Some thought that it would be pointless and that $500,000 was not a suitable enough award for the players. Others, myself included, thought that it would be a great chance for one of the least covered teams in the league to show the wider basketball world what is happening in Indiana and why they have the best offense in the NBA.

However, there was more to that. For a team with multiple young players and the smallest payroll in the league, the Indiana Pacers seemed motivated and more determined than ever to come out on top and collect that prize money for the guys at the end of the bench and on two-way contracts that do not make as much as the stars and more established role players.

Impressively enough, one of the youngest teams in the NBA almost managed to pull it off, with it taking a herculean effort from LeBron James and Anthony Davis to stop Indiana right in their tracks for good.

With the Cinderella run unfortunately being over, now is a better time than ever to take a look at the Pacers In-Season Tournament run from start to finish.

Group Play: The warm-ups

The Indiana Pacers In-Season Tournament run started on November 3 with a matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite the night's main focus being on the disgustingly bright blue Pacers tournament court, Indiana still showed out and came away with the 121-116 win despite 38 points from Donovan Mitchell.

While Tyrese Haliburton's 18 points and 13 assists were impressive and a nice appetizer to his future performances in the tourney, the biggest star of the night was undoubtedly Myles Turner, who scored 27 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and had a key block on Evan Mobley in the closing moments to give Indiana the win against a fully healthy Cavaliers team.

Nine days after this game, Indiana headed to Philadelphia for the second of two games against the 76ers, the second game of tournament group play. Following a heartbreaking loss a few days prior in which Tyrese Maxey scored a career-high 50 points, Indiana learned from their mistakes and beat Philadelphia in a high-scoring affair.

Tyrese Haliburton and Obi Toppin were the main contributors to the Pacers win, with Toppin scoring 27 points and grabbing six rebounds and Haliburton showing more of what type of play the tournament would bring out of him, as he put up 33 points and dished out 15 assists with no turnovers, something that he would replicate very soon after.

Eight days after this, the Pacers played what is perhaps the game of the year against the Hawks in State Farm Arena. In a game I was present for, Indiana beat Atlanta in a pure scoring battle 157-152, combining for 309 points and coming back from an 85-point Hawks first half to improve their tournament record to 3-0.

Once again, Tyrese Haliburton was the star of the night, scoring 37 points and dishing out 16 assists as Indiana won the shootout and got one step closer to being undefeated in group play.

Indiana's final obstacle standing between them and an undefeated group play record was the lowly Detroit Pistons. Despite keeping it close for the first three quarters, a fourth-quarter barrage from Indiana and the best defensive quarter they have played all season quickly put the game out of reach.

Indiana turned a close game through three quarters into a 23-point win over Cade Cunningham and company to improve their record to a perfect 4-0 in group play.

Unfortunately for the Pacers, the Milwaukee Bucks also went undefeated in group play, and due to the point differential system and Milwaukee beating the Miami Heat, Indiana would be matched up against the best team in the Eastern Conference in the quarterfinals, the Boston Celtics.

The Knockout Rounds: A star is born

Going into the first knockout game against the Boston Celtics, a game that was on national TV, the Pacers' first of the year, many were expecting Indiana's impressive run to end at the hands of Jayson Tatum and company, as the Celtics were listed as one of the favorites to win. Tyrese Haliburton and company had other plans, though.

Despite 62 combined points from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Indiana's balanced scoring attack of seven players in double-figures and two players over 20 points proved enough to beat the mighty Celtics in the final minutes. Of course, the star-making performance of the game belonged to none other than Tyrese Haliburton.

In a team-high 40 minutes where he looked visibly exhausted and admitted to having to use his inhaler at times to keep him going, Haliburton scored 26 points and threw 13 assists while once again not turning the ball over once.

And indeed, when it was time for the Pacers to get some points with the game on the line, Haliburton delivered with a four-point play on Jaylen Brown to put the Pacers up four with 90 seconds left, a lead that they would not look back on to eventually win 122-112 and advance to the semifinals in Las Vegas.

With this win, one could say that Haliburton's status as a cold-blooded killer was cemented. After all, 26/13 with no turnovers and the dagger at the end would be enough to convince most people. However, Haliburton and the Pacers were not done yet.

Despite beating the best team in the East, Indiana's road did not get any easier. In the semifinals, the Pacers would have to face a powerhouse Milwaukee Bucks team with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, a team they beat earlier in the season, although without Lillard in a close affair.

This would not be a problem for the Pacers either way, as they pulled off yet another stunning upset in the tournament, surviving a Giannis Antetokounmpo barrage and holding Damian Lillard to an off shooting night en route to a 128-119 win in Las Vegas to advance to the championship game.

Once again, despite a balanced scoring attack, Indiana's hero was Tyrese Haliburton, as it was most nights. In another masterclass performance where he looked fatigued at times, Haliburton put up 27 points on 11/19 shooting and dished out 15 assists while once again committing zero turnovers.

However, Haliburton's signature moment and one of the best moments of the tourney was not a highlight pass but a clutch shot and his celebration. After hitting a dagger three to put the game away, Haliburton looked at his wrist and stated, "I know what time it is," as a way to mock Damian Lillard and his signature "Dame Time" celebration.

This bold move garnered a response from Lillard himself, who told the young superstar to stay humble during his big moments.

The finals: An unfortunate ending

Unfortunately, this win and celebration would be the peak of Indiana's tourney run, as they were stopped from winning it all by the mighty Los Angeles Lakers on a night where basically every Pacer had a bad shooting night.

The Lakers used a blitz attack on Haliburton, doubling and trapping him every step of the way, and Indiana's other players could not pick up the slack on offense, with the team shooting an abysmal 36% from the field and 24% from downtown as they eventually lost 109-123 to give the Lakers the first-ever In-Season Tournament championship.

While Tyrese Haliburton played relatively well, especially given the defense that was played on him, scoring 20 points on 8/14 shooting and dishing out 11 assists, nobody else on Indiana shot over 45% from the field and outside of Bennedict Mathurin, nobody on the team scored over 15 points.

Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, and Bruce Brown all disappointed on offense and defense, shooting a combined 8/31 from the field while Turner was the main defender on Anthony Davis, who scored 41 points on 16/24 shooting and pulled down an incredible 20 rebounds, more than Indiana's top three rebounders combined.

Unfortunately, while Indiana lost in the finals and eventually had to watch LeBron James and company hoist up the trophy they could have won, the Pacers have nothing to be ashamed of.

Tyrese Haliburton and company put on a fantastic six-game stretch and showed the national audience why they should be paid attention to. Haliburton, in particular, shined the brightest, with the tournament lights kicking his play into another gear as he had to work overtime for his team to get wins.

In the six games before the finals, Tyrese Haliburton averaged 28.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 13.4 assists, and 1.6 steals on 50.5% from the field.

Despite the loss and the inaugural In-Season Tournament trophy residing in Los Angeles, Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers have firmly placed themselves as the NBA team of the future, and maybe even the present.