It has been a breakout season for Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, but tonight was a game that he'd like to remember. With a chance to go to the NBA Finals, Haliburton completely dropped the ball, and all he could say was that he'd do better in the next one.
"Rough night for me, I gotta be better, set the tone, and get downhill," said Haliburton in the post-game press conference. "I feel like I didn't do a great job of that, but I'll watch some film. There were some different things they did defensively, but I think their base stuff was the same... but yeah, I gotta be better and I'll be better in Game 6. I'll watch the film and learn from it like I always try to do, and I'll be better in Game 6."
Haliburton was a beast in Game 4, finishing with 32 points, 12 assists, and 15 rebounds in the win. But in the close-out game tonight, Hali was a shell of himself with just eight points, two rebounds, and six assists in 32 minutes. He was -23 on the court, but the struggles were team-wide for New York.
As Haliburton said after the game, the Pacers lost focus and attention to detail, leading to costly mistakes that ultimately cost them the game. For a team as stacked as the Knicks, you have to be on your team from start to finish, and Haliburton knows the margin for error is slim.
"We weren't great as a group," said Haliburton. "I thought we lost the margin battle today, I thought we lost the margins. We turned the ball over too much and didn't rebound to our ability like we have shown this series. When you do those two things against these guys in a game that comes down to so many possessions, it's tough. As a group, we've shown we could have some success in these playoffs, but that was a rough showing tonight."
For Haliburton, it's not about getting caught up in the past, but he's going to watch and study the tapes to better understand the loss. By reviewing each play after tonight's loss, he hopes to learn from his mistakes and alter his approach for the next game. At the same time, he still maintains confidence in his team and their chance to win the series.
It's a good place to be following an ugly loss, but the Pacers will need more than words of optimism to keep their run going. After blitzing through the first two rounds against the Heat and Cavaliers, they are one win away from the NBA Finals, but the Knicks are not going down easily.
With a roster including some of the best offensive players in the game (Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns), the Knicks have the assets to make a comeback in the series, and they'd be back home at MSG for Game 7.
In many ways, everything hinges on Game 6 and whether the Pacers can finally close the deal before facing elimination. If they want any chance of pulling it off, however, they'll need a stronger performance from Haliburton.
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