We had Allen Iverson’s “Practice”, we might have Tyrese Haliburton’s “I’ll be better”. Thirteen times during his speech to the press on Monday, the leader of the Pacers repeated that he would be better in Game 2 after missing his Game 1 in the hell of Madison Square Garden, finishing at 6 points 2/6 shooting, 8 assists and 4 interceptions in 36 minutes.
Obviously, the All-Star leader suffered from the comparison with Jalen Brunson on a mission, who finished the game with 43 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. By wanting to give his teammates too much confidence, Tyrese Haliburton forgot himself a little in the scoring, and therefore sees himself redressing the bar during Game 2 this evening.
» They're a good team defensively, but I see it more as Tyrese's problem rather than the Knicks. I will be better in Game 2,” he confidedreferring to the need to find the right balance. “I made a mistake when it came to creation, and I didn’t make the right choices. I have to continue to stay who I am. But, yes, I will just be better tomorrow.”
Excuses are okay
Without wanting to excuse him, Rick Carlisle for his part recalled that his leader is currently having to deal with back pain which had already made his participation uncertain at the end of the series against Milwaukee.
“At this point in the year, everyone has a little bit of something to look after. He takes care of it and does his best to feel as good as possible. I am confident that he will play, but there is still a concern.”
Same story for the player, who will certainly not complain or resign himself to the situation. These are the first playoffs of his career, and there is no question of him lowering his head, even after a Game 1 that was difficult to digest for the Pacers. Coming out of a series against the Bucks where he had already blown hot and cold.
“It’s all I ever wanted.” I always wanted to play in the playoffs.”he added. ” This is not the end of the world. We lost a match. We have an opportunity to win the next one and go home 1-1, so I'm not sounding alarm bells or anything.”
| Tyrese Haliburton | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2020-21 | BAG | 58 | 30 | 47.2 | 40.9 | 85.7 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 5.3 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 13.0 |
| 2021-22 * | All Teams | 77 | 35 | 47.3 | 41.4 | 84.2 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 8.2 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 15.3 |
| 2021-22 * | BAG | 51 | 34 | 45.7 | 41.3 | 83.7 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 7.4 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 14.3 |
| 2021-22 * | IND | 26 | 36 | 50.2 | 41.6 | 84.9 | 0.9 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 9.6 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 17.5 |
| 2022-23 | IND | 56 | 34 | 49.0 | 40.0 | 87.1 | 0.6 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 10.5 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 20.7 |
| 2023-24 | IND | 69 | 32 | 47.7 | 36.4 | 85.5 | 0.5 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 10.9 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 20.1 |
| Total | 260 | 33 | 47.8 | 39.3 | 85.6 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 8.8 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 17.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
