Tyrese Haliburton uses ‘extra fuel' from doubters when the Pacers need him most

New York Times

a day ago

OKLAHOMA CITY — Ask anyone in basketball circles five years ago about the impact Tyrese Haliburton would have on the NBA, and it's likely none would've said he'd lead a team to the NBA Finals.
In his 3 1/2 seasons with the Indiana Pacers, Haliburton has emerged as the franchise star, the leader of the team both on the court and in the locker room. The team has been built to enhance and complement his skills. With Haliburton at the helm, the Pacers go as he goes.
In April, Haliburton was voted the NBA's most overrated player in The Athletic's annual player poll. While only 90 players replied to that question, compared to 155 who voted on MVP, Haliburton noticed and responded after the Pacers eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks in a wild first-round Game 5.
Overrate THAT
— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) April 30, 2025
He used that result as fuel to produce the best results of his career so far: an Eastern Conference championship and the Pacers' first appearance in the NBA Finals since 2000.
'I think that's part of my drive,' Haliburton said Wednesday. 'Obviously, I want to be the best. I want to be great. I want to squeeze every ounce of God-given ability that I have to be the best player I can be. But any doubt is always good for me. I think the greats try to find external motivation as much as they can, and that's something that's always worked for me.
'It doesn't solidify who I am; I know who I am. I don't need anybody to tell me who I am or who I am as a player or a person. I'm grounded in myself, and I think a lot of that is through … the Lord … and knowing who I am. But that extra doubt, that extra fuel, always helps.'
Haliburton can take satisfaction in knowing he and the Pacers have proven themselves, if anything, underrated. Before the postseason, few had them making the Eastern Conference finals, let alone the NBA Finals. (Some people noticed early.)
Haliburton is averaging 18.8 points, 9.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds during the postseason. His nearly 10 dimes per game leads all players in the 2025 playoffs. But outside of those numbers, his biggest impact has come in some of the most important moments. In one game in each of the Pacers' three Eastern Conference series, Haliburton has either tied or won a game in the last minute of regulation or overtime.
Game-winners 🤯
Clutch plays 🙌
Incredible passes 😤
Tyrese Haliburton and the @Pacers have clinched a Finals berth for the first time since 2000! pic.twitter.com/qsLBJ9Ml9F
— NBA (@NBA) June 1, 2025
'He's a general out there,' Pacers forward Pascal Siakam said. 'He makes us go, so we're gonna ride with Tyrese until the wheels fall off. I think for me, he's such a special player just because he can impact the game not just by scoring, but being able to open the floor for everybody else, put everybody in the right positions — and, you know, doing it with swag.
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'At the end of the day, some people are gonna like it, some people are not gonna like it. I think he's an unselfish player out there when he plays. He has one thing in mind, to win, and he's always thinking about how to make us better.'
In the fourth quarter of that crazy Game 5 against Milwaukee, with a chance to put the Bucks away for good, Haliburton missed a few key shots, and he thought he'd let Indiana down. But his teammates' belief in him never wavered.
'Go get the ball!' Pacers center Myles Turner yelled at Haliburton.
In overtime, Haliburton had a chance to deliver. He'd missed six shots in the extra frame, but on Indiana's final possession, Haliburton blew past Giannis Antetokounmpo for a layup to close an 8-0 run that gave the Pacers the lead with 1.3 seconds left.
'When it comes to belief in himself, Tyrese has an iron will,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said after that win. 'He works extremely hard on what he does. He works extremely hard on his craft, his skill. He's unafraid.
'He reminds me a lot of Reggie (Miller). This game will go down as one of the all-time great Pacer wins because of the circumstances in overtime and what was on the line, and Ty, obviously, authored a big part of this ending. So, congratulations to him.'
The comeback win was marred when Haliburton's father, John, went onto the court and taunted Antetokounmpo. The elder Haliburton wouldn't attend another Pacers game, at home or on the road, until Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The interaction between the elder Haliburton and Antetokounmpo was among the NBA topics of discussion for days after. But the Pacers guard was unfazed, choosing instead to focus on his team's second-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even with injuries to key Cavs players, the Pacers weren't favored to win the series.
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Against the Cavs, Haliburton played hero once more. During the first half of Game 2, it was feared Haliburton sustained a wrist injury. But after undergoing an X-ray at halftime, Haliburton returned for a memorable second half. With 1.1 seconds remaining, he hit one of the biggest shots of his career.
After grabbing his own rebound off a missed free throw, Haliburton dribbled out the clock until he could get separation, then stepped past the top of the key and let the ball go.
'I mean, it's a special feeling, man,' Haliburton said. 'It's a lot of fun. I mean, like any basketball fan, or anybody who's involved in basketball at all, everybody in their life has imagined being a kid, being in the driveway, being in the living room, lying down in their bed, shooting it, missing, putting more time on the clock.
'You know, all those things like, this is a kid's game, and I get paid a lot of money to play a kid's game. So, I'm just having fun out there, just having fun with what I'm doing. Winning is really fun, you know, but I love being in these situations. Somehow, someway, we find our way in these situations a lot, and, you know, we just got to find ways to win.'
Since the Pacers' magical playoff run began, Haliburton has displayed both calm under pressure and a growing confidence not just in his team, but also himself. Before every game, when some players in high-pressure situations might sit stone-faced listening to whatever music motivates them, trying to lock in, Haliburton is the picture of calm. He casually walks through the locker room, often smiling as he interacts with his teammates. You wouldn't know from looking at him that he's minutes away from playing on one of basketball's biggest stages.
Haliburton is a living example of the phrase often repeated by his teammates: 'Never get too high, never get too low.' The drama and intensity of the moment is in the background.
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After wins and losses, Haliburton always takes the same approach: There are things in his game he can work to improve. The self-described 'film nerd' has discussed his love — no matter how painful the viewing experience — of watching and breaking down film with Carlisle.
Haliburton just loves the game.
'As long as I got my dog, my video game and a court, I'll be fine,' Haliburton said.
When it was time to meet the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, Haliburton solidified his place as an antagonist in Knicks' lore. In Game 1, 25 years after Reggie Miller first did the gesture, Haliburton recreated the choke celebration after hitting an improbable shot to send the game to overtime. The Pacers won the first two games of the series on the road.
After winning Games 3 and 5, the Knicks forced a Game 6. Haliburton said he would watch film and have a better Game 6. And just as he'd done in every other series of these playoffs, Haliburton delivered. Though he got off to a relatively quiet start in the first half, Haliburton, with 11 points, four assists and three rebounds in the fourth quarter, put the Knicks away for good.
While Siakam was named Eastern Conference finals MVP, Haliburton played a critical role in Indiana's decisive victory and first trip to the NBA Finals in 25 years.
After all, that's what he does.
'He's a point guard by nature, a classic point guard by nature, a guy running a team,' Carlisle said. 'But he's developed an ability to score and, you know, striking the balance is always a bit of a challenge. He's done a great job of migrating through it.
'Teams do a lot of things to make it hard on him. He's learned a lot about being in the fight when teams are doing things to disrupt him and try to physically intimidate him and do things like that. And our guys have his back.'
In 2024, those 'guys' made a run to the Eastern Conference finals. There, the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics swept the Pacers. Haliburton only played in the series' first two games because of a hamstring issue.
Despite the loss, there was hope in Indianapolis for the future of its young team behind its promising star. Since joining the team, Haliburton has embraced all the city has to offer and is proud to be one with the city.
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'I just feel like being in Indy, it's a great place for me,' Haliburton said. 'Indy is a much bigger place than I'm even accustomed to. … My whole family lives there now. We love being there. It's a lot of fun for me.
'I don't need the glitz and glamour of large city. I really like the hometown, small-town feel from our fans. Our home-court advantages are different, because people are really passionate about our teams, and their parents were passionate about the team. … That's why I enjoy being a part of it, why I want to be a part of it for the rest of my career.'
The Pacers and Haliburton won't have it easy against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the NBA's most dominant team throughout the regular season and playoffs. Again, the Pacers are underdogs.
But in these playoffs so far, Haliburton not only has worn Indiana across his chest, he's also put the team on his back.
(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; photo: Brennan Alspen / Getty Images)