The Indiana Pacers are through to the Eastern Conference Finals. Tyrese Haliburton’s 31 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds saw them beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-105 to clinch the series 4-1.
The Pacers (7.55) trailed 31-19 at the end of the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse but came back from behind to silence the Cleveland crowd. For Tyrese Haliburton, this was a major statement that he is capable of competing with the best players in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
LeBron James Backs Tyrese Haliburton
LeBron James watched Game 5 between the Cavaliers and Pacers closely. The ex-Cavaliers star is a franchise legend, but also had kind words for the Pacers’ star player. His former side faced his Olympic teammate, Tyrese Haliburton. Cleveland started strong, leading by 19 points early in the second quarter.
The Pacers cut the gap to four points by half-time. Haliburton led Indiana’s comeback, scoring 17 points in the first half. LeBron praised Haliburton on social media for his performance. He referenced an Athletic report calling Haliburton the league’s most overrated player according to player votes. “Hali f** hooping!!!! Where are the lame who said he was overrated??!! Quiet as hell. That boy NICE and even more someone everyone would love to play with!”, wrote James on X.
The Cavaliers struggled badly in the third quarter. They went over six minutes without scoring a field goal. The Pacers took a nine-point lead into the fourth. Haliburton had 24 points by the end of the third. He finished with 31 points in the 114-105 win. The Pacers won the series 4-1.
The Athletic’s player poll named Haliburton the NBA’s most overrated player. He received more votes than Rudy Gobert, Trae Young and Dillon Brooks. Haliburton responded calmly, saying, “I must be doing something right if that’s the case. I’m good. I couldn’t care less.”
He used the criticism as motivation in both playoff rounds. Against the Bucks, he averaged 17.6 points, 11.6 assists and 6.4 rebounds. The Pacers won that series in five games, too. In five games vs. Cleveland, Haliburton averaged 17.4 points, 7.0 assists and 4.6 rebounds. Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam also impressed on both ends.
Haliburton hit a game-winner in Game 2 of the Cavaliers series. Myles Turner said, “… This Hit Home… That’s So Real Same Spot And Everything.” Haliburton and LeBron were Olympic teammates last summer. LeBron now believes Haliburton is a special talent.
Conclusion: What’s Next for the Pacers & Cavs
The Pacers will face the winner of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the New York Knicks and defending NBA champions Boston Celtics, next. The Knicks currently lead the series 3-1.
In the Western Conference semifinals, the Oklahoma City Thunder lead the Denver Nuggets 3-2 in the semifinals, while the Minnesota Timberwolves are 3-1 up against the Golden State Warriors.
The winner of the Western Conference will play the winner of the Eastern Conference in the final to determine the winner of the 2025 NBA Championship. Online sports betting enthusiasts will have to eagerly await the next steps.
For the Cavs, some tough decisions await. They need to decide what changes are needed to the roster in order to get them over the line. Donovan Mitchell was the standout player for them over the past season and has indicated he wants to help them come back and clinch the championship, but the Cavs need to decide if he has the support he needs. As fans saw with the Luka Doncic trade from Dallas to Los Angeles, anybody could be viewed as disposable in the NBA.
“Y’all gonna write us the f*** off, man,” Mitchell told reporters to end his postgame news conference. “But we’ll be back. We let the city down. Let each other down. We’ll be back. Thank you.”
