Pacers Coach Defends Tyrese Haliburton After Controversial Gesture
After Tyrese Haliburton hit a buzzer-beater to send Game 1 against the New York Knicks to overtime, he channeled a former Indiana Pacers star's infamous celebration.
Haliburton's long 2-pointer -- which he said he thought was a game-winning three -- bounced off the back rim and high into the air before sailing back down through the net. The shot capped off a frenetic 14-point comeback with just under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and the Pacers would go on to win 138-135 in overtime.
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After hitting the shot, Haliburton ran toward the sideline and put his hands to his neck, copying Reggie Miller's famous "choke" celebration.
Though Haliburton opened himself up to a potential fine by the NBA and accusations that he may have motivated the Knicks, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said he had no problem with it.
'Listen, players can do what they want and it's an emotional thing. It's not a big deal,' Carlisle said. 'It's not a big deal. We got to go out there, the place is unlikely to be any louder than it was tonight.'
Haliburton said he had been waiting a long time to use the celebration, but worries that he may have missed the timing of it.
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'Everybody wanted me to do it like last year at some different point, but it's got to feel right and it felt right at the time,' Haliburton said. 'If I would have known it was a 2, I would not have done it. So I might have wasted it.'
Related: Knicks' Jalen Brunson Sends Clear Message on Tyrese Haliburton
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