Pacers Report Cards: Grading every Pacers player's overall playoff performance
By Mueez Azfar
Tyrese Haliburton
First Round Stats: 6 Games, 36.3 MPG, 16 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 9.3 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 2.7 TOV, 1.2 FPG 43.5/29.6/85.7 Splits on 54.5% TS
Second Round Stats: 7 Games, 33.6 MPG, 21.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 7 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 1.7 TOV, 0.7 FPG 53.8/43.9/80 Splits on 68.7% TS
Conference Finals Stats: 2 Games, 34.2 MPG, 17.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 9 APG, 2 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 1.5 TOV, 2 FPG 46.2/40/100 Splits on 64.1% TS
Overall Stats: 15 Games, 34.8 MPG, 18.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 8.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 2.1 TOV, 0.9 FPG 48.8/37.9/85 Splits on 62.6% TS
Tyrese Haliburton's first playoff run was an up-and-down rollercoaster. At times, it felt like Haliburton was just not ready for the spotlight, such as in the very first game of the playoffs against Milwaukee. On nights like these, Haliburton played like the passive Tyrese Haliburton fans dreaded to see in the second half of the regular season, except even more passive, if that is even possible. Overall, the first round was probably Haliburton's worst playoff showcase, although there were still some fantastic moments.
For example, the 18-point triple-double in Game 3 to give the Pacers a narrow win which was capped off by a floater to win the game from Haliburton himself was certainly a moment to remember. Starting with this shot, Tyrese Haliburton seemed to have a flair for the dramatic in the 2024 playoffs. Especially on nights that he was willing to shoot as much as possible, Haliburton pulled out some incredible performances with signature moments sprinkled throughout.
It will be a long time before fans forget Haliburton's fourth-quarter barrage in Game 3 of the New York series to cap off his 35-point night, becoming the 5th player in NBA history to record 30+ points with 6+ 3-pointers in back-to-back postseason games in the process.
Somehow, that wasn't even the most memorable moment of his in the second round, as his 26 points in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden to close out the Knicks on their home floor will go down as another legendary Pacers playoff moment.
Unfortunately, Tyrese Haliburton's first playoff run did not have a happy ending, as he had to watch his team get eliminated from the sidelines after re-injuring his hamstring in Game 2 of the Conference Finals. Either way, the biggest memory that Pacers fans will associate Tyrese Haliburton with from these playoffs will not be the image of him sitting on the bench in his sweater, but rather his multiple fantastic performances, the clutch shots, and the trash talk to go with it.
Tyrese Haliburton may have struggled with his aggressiveness, taking less shots than desired at some points, but he always found a way to make it work in the end. For a 24-year-old playing his first stretch of meaningful basketball in years, Haliburton did a hell of a job making the Pacers relevant again.