The championship for the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament is set. The Indiana Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night to earn their spot and will be facing off against the Los Angeles Lakers, who blew out the New Orleans Pelicans.
Both teams have played well throughout pool play and thus far in the knockout round. For the Pacers, the driving force behind their success has been point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton has taken his game to another level during the In-Season Tournament, cementing his status as not only a premier point guard but one of the best players in the NBA.
Against the Bucks, he was stellar once again. He scored 27 points with 15 assists and zero turnovers, adding seven rebounds and one block in 37 minutes. The performance got everyone out of their seats, including former Pacers great turned commentator, Reggie Miller.
Miller knows a thing or two about showing up when the team needs it most under bright lights. He thrived in pressure situations, but like Haliburton is doing now, as he looks to lead the team to heights that haven’t consistently been reached since Miller was on the team.
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That is some high praise for Miller and he is correct. Despite making the All-Star team for the first time in his career last season, Haliburton isn’t really a household name. After his performance in the NBA In-Season Tournament this season, and the accolades that should come in the following months, he will start to be.
In the six In-Season Tournament games, all victories for Indiana, Haliburton has averaged 27.8 points, 13.7 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. He recorded double-digit assists in each contest, as he is on a record-setting pace for points created this season.
The upstart Pacers play at a rapid pace on the court and Haliburton is the conductor for Rick Carlise’s team. He will look to keep the excellent performance going on Saturday night when the team plays against the Lakers for the inaugural championship. It would be quite a feat to be the first winner of the In-Season tournament as Haliburton is gunning for the MVP award.
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