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The Indiana Pacers weren't seen as a legitimate playoff contender before the season began, but they made a surprise run all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately, the road ended there, with the Boston Celtics sweeping Tyrese Haliburton and Co.
While it was a season where the Pacers definitely exceeded expectations, Haliburton isn't the least bit satisfied. In fact, he wants to see his squad replicate this success and go beyond in the years to come.
Via Tony East:
“We haven't arrived… we still have to have a chip on our shoulder. It's a whole new thing. We have to prove that this year wasn't a fluke,” Haliburton said.
Many could say it's a fluke. I mean, the Pacers took down a Milwaukee Bucks group without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard for a couple of games. Indiana then eliminated Jalen Brunson's New York Knicks, who also dealt with injuries.
You cannot take anything away from Indy's path, though. It was impressive for such a young roster. That being said, Haliburton makes a valid point. It's just one season.
Pacers were without Tyrese Haliburton
Yes, the Pacers had their opportunities to beat the Celtics in the last two games of the series, but Haliburton didn't play in them due to a hamstring injury. It was going to be difficult to get past Boston with Hali healthy. Without him, it became an extremely tall task.
Pascal Siakam, who is no stranger to deep playoff runs, admitted that getting swept hurts, especially being so close to a possible NBA Finals appearance.
Via ESPN:
“I can tell you like, yeah, we're going to learn from it and it's going to happen, but it's not guaranteed,” Siakam said. “I know how hard it is to get to this point. It's unfortunate. You want to give credit to the other team because they took advantage of every mistake that we made. They did well.
“But for us, it's been hard, like heartbreaking losses after heartbreaking losses. Yeah, you're going to be encouraged by it and you hope to put the right amount of work to continue to get better. Because we need to be a lot better if you want to compete with those teams. And understand it doesn't matter how good we played, we didn't get it done.”
Tyrese Haliburton meanwhile certainly did his part in the postseason, averaging 18.7 points, 8.2 assists, and 4.8 rebounds on 37.9% shooting from three-point land. The numbers were down a tad from the season, but he still led the way.
The Pacers' conference finals exit will surely put a bigger chip on their shoulders because it means they have to go out in 2024-25 and prove this can be a regular thing, not just a one-off.
Indiana finished the regular season as the sixth seed, going 47-35. Yes, their ultimate goal was to go all the way, but even getting to the East Finals is a massive accomplishment for an organization that hasn't been relevant for a few years.
It's certainly progression.
