The title says it all. Tyrese Haliburton is a superstar and there's nothing anyone can do about it.
After a breakthrough playoff performance in Game 2 where he put up 34 points, the most in his playoff career up to this point, but the Pacers lost, Tyrese Haliburton knew he would have to bring more than that to get Indiana their first win of the series and avoid being down 0-3.
In NBA history, no team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit, so this is something Indiana wanted to avoid at all costs. With the Gainbridge faithful powering him on, now was as good a time as ever for Haliburton to have his signature playoff moment.
Sure enough, Haliburton delivered when his name was called, finishing with a new playoff career-high of 35 points on 26 shot attempts, another career high. Additionally, Haliburton was noticeably more aggressive and not looking to pass as much, as he only had seven assists compared to his usual nights when he gets ten or more.
This revelation was exactly what the Pacers needed, as they erased any memory of a third-quarter collapse to regain the lead and win Game 3 off a ridiculous Andrew Nembhard stepback three, assisted by Haliburton.
elite company for Tyrese Haliburton after incredible performances in back-to-back games 👀 pic.twitter.com/j7I5LyqAZe
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 11, 2024
Haliburton looked completely different as a player in Game 3 compared to the previous eight playoff games. While we saw some good aggression and signs of better scoring in Game 2, he gave the Indiana fans everything they could stomach on Friday, hitting six three-pointers and shooting 8/10 from two-point range as well as having ten fastbreak points.
Additionally, Haliburton provided the Pacers with one of the biggest stops of the game, as he blocked a Donte DiVincenzo layup that would have put the Knicks up two with six minutes remaining.
With this performance and the win in Indiana, the Pacers have given themselves new life in the series. Now down 2-1 with a second home game in Indiana being played on Sunday, everyone has an extra day to rest and get their affairs in order before they attempt to defend home court again and perhaps tie up the series.
To do this, Indiana needs another massive night from Haliburton. He has been Indiana's engine this entire season and the team undoubtedly plays better when he plays better. With his first signature playoff game in the books, Tyrese Haliburton has a chance to turn that into a signature series and dig Indiana out of the 0-2 hole they dug themselves in.