"He said he didn't want to call plays anymore" - Tyrese Haliburton reveals Rick Carlisle conversation that took his career to the next level
"He said he didn't want to call plays anymore" - Tyrese Haliburton reveals Rick Carlisle conversation that took his career to the next level originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Tyrese Haliburton has been one of the top storylines of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. The 25-year-old from Oshkosh, Wisconsin has emerged as one of the biggest stars of this year's postseason with incredible play in the clutch.
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Although his streak of two consecutive All-Star game appearances ended this season, Haliburton is a much-improved player from the guy who averaged 13.6 points and 6.3 assists per game in Sacramento.
During the Indiana Pacers' media session the day before Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Haliburton credited head coach Rick Carlisle for the dramatic improvement of his game.
"Going into the following year, before training camp, he met with me and he said he didn't want to call plays anymore. I was surprised cause I know what the conversation around coach was, especially from players and point guards specifically. When he gave me that kind of nod, that was the ultimate respect, the ultimate trust that I could get from anybody. Because he's such a brilliant basketball mind, he's been around such great guards, great players. So for him to give me that confidence, I think that's really taken my career to the next level."
Rick's embrace of the fast game
Carlisle has been in the league for a long time, and he's had a long history of confrontations with his points guards, such as Jamal Tinsley, Jason Kidd, Rajon Rondo, and Dennis Smith. His squabbles with the mentioned guards arose from his meticulous control of the game, often calling the plays from the sidelines. But a lot has changed since then.
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Rick was initially known as a defensive-minded coach, but his early teams ran slow and deliberate offenses. Towards the end of his Mavs tenure, when he had Luka Doncic, he started playing at a fast, even frantic pace.
Haliburton joined the Pacers midway through the 2021-22 NBA season. They went 25-57 that year. After their conversation, Haliburton averaged a career-high 20.7 points per game and made his first All-Star team. Still, the Pacers did not make the playoffs in 2022-23 but their win total increased to 35.
Last season, Hali made his second straight All-Star team. The Pacers won 47 games, and despite being just the 6th seed in the East, they made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, where the eventual champions swept them, the Boston Celtics.
Related: "That crossed the line" - When George Karl suspended Carmelo Anthony for refusing to sit during a Nuggets timeout
Carlisle just let Hali cook at the end of game 1
Carlisle's ultimate trust in Haliburton has been on full display in the 2025 NBA Playoffs where Tyrese has emerged as the postseason's best clutch player. That confidence was perhaps at its highest level with Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals going down to their final possession.
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After SGA missed a short jumper for the Thunder, the Pacers grabbed the rebound with 9.7 left on the game clock and down 109-110. Rick did not call a timeout and the ball found its way to Haliburton who hit the game-winner with 0.3 seconds left.
"Very," Carlisle replied when asked how comfortable he was with not calling timeout in that final possession. "We talked about it. We still didn't know the outcome of the challenge yet, but we said, if it is their ball, let's get a stop because there is gonna be a difference in the shot clock and the game clock… If we get a stop and get the rebound, we're gonna go. Hopefully, we get it to Tyrese's hands and hope to make a play."
Haliburton has been celebrated for his clutch plays this postseason. But no player would have made any of his game-winners if he did not have supreme confidence in himself. For Tyrese, it was that summer conversation with Carlisle that did it.
Related: "Dad, you at 17, me at 17, who was better? I said, 'Listen, son...'" - Dominique Wilkins on the moment he realized his son didn't know how great of a player he was
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
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