Tyrese Haliburton has been one of the biggest stars of these playoffs so far due to his late-game heroics and control of the game. His performance has the Pacers on the brink of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second year in a row, as Indiana currently leads the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round.
With a chance to close the series out in Game 5 in Cleveland, the Pacers didn't get off to a hot start. They spotted the Cavs a 19-point lead early in the game before storming back in the second quarter thanks to a monster effort from Haliburton.
Thanks to Haliburton's elite shooting from the outside, the Pacers stormed back and made it just a four-point game at halftime. After the Pacers star's crazy run to end the half, even Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James chimed in on the performance.
“Hali fkn hooping!!!! Where the lames who said he was overrated??!! Quiet as hell,” James wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “That boy NICE and even more someone everyone would love to play with!”
James' message is a shot at there anonymous player poll that came out early in the playoffs, where Haliburton's NBA peers voted him as the most overrated player in the league.
Haliburton has put all of that talk to rest since the poll dropped, winning two playoff games for the Pacers with game-winners, including an incredible step-back 3-pointer in Game 2 in Cleveland that is a big reason why the Pacers are in control of this series.
In addition to scoring, Haliburton has consistently set up his teammates for easy buckets without turning the ball over.
At this point, it's clear that Haliburton is a very good playoff performer. He was great during Indiana's run through the Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks in the playoffs last season, and is a big reason they are likely headed to the next round again in 2025.
If even some of the biggest stars in the game like James are starting to take note, that's how you know that Haliburton is earning the respect of his peers.