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Tyrese Haliburton has done nothing but transform the Indiana Pacers ever since he arrived in a blockbuster trade back in 2022. His unselfishness has given the Pacers an identity to work with, and now, they have been achieving so much success on the court that it's not far-fetched to see them win it all now that they've punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals after humbling the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.
Haliburton has gone out of his way in the past to say that he wants to be a “good mom” for the Pacers, that is, he wants to make sure that his entire team eats. But as a superstar in his own right, there are nights where he has to hunt for his own shot more proactively. And when he does, he typically lights it up from beyond the arc, reminding Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas of another Indiana sporting icon at present in Caitlin Clark.
“The way [Haliburton] played the game [on Tuesday night], this is a Caitlin Clark type of game. He's shooting it from way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way out there,” Thomas said, via NBA on ESPN on Instagram. “I see a lot of her in his game right now.”
Indeed, there are many similarities with the way Haliburton and Clark play. Both have unlimited shooting range and both have excellent court vision. Moreover, their unselfishness and confidence empower their teams, with Clark even transforming the moribund Indiana Fever franchise into a playoff team in her rookie campaign.
Haliburton, however, looks to pass more often than Clark does, while Clark is more aggressive in hunting her own shot. But even with that major difference, both have shown that they play winning basketball by always being willing to make the right play. And the Fever will look to ascend in the WNBA the same way the Pacers have been doing in the NBA over the past two seasons.
Pacers have golden opportunity to go all the way
The Pacers will refuse to get ahead of themselves, but with the title-race being as wide open as it is, they have as good of a chance as they've had, perhaps in franchise history, to win a championship.
The Pacers will be facing either the New York Knicks or Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals; Indiana showed last year that it can beat New York in the playoffs, while the Celtics will find it difficult from here on out in the aftermath of Jayson Tatum's injury.
