Whoever tuned into last night’s Game 2 clash between Pacers and Cavaliers was in for a treat, having witnessed one of the most exciting last-second shots from beyond the arc in recent times. One thing for sure is, Indiana trusts Tyrese Haliburton with the ball in his hands when the game is on the line.
With 1.1 seconds left in Tuesday night’s matchup, the All-Star guard dropped in a stunning three-pointer that suddenly flipped the scoreboard, as the Pacers had been trailing by seven with one minute remaining until the final buzzer. With that shot, they lead the Eastern Conference semifinal series 2-0.
“I’m at peace,” Tyrese shared after his team’s 120-119 victory in Cleveland. “I’m at peace with my game. Understanding that I’m trusted in these moments. I have all the confidence in the world to make these shots.”
After hearing the Cavs’ crowd chant ‘overrated’ throughout the entire contest, Haliburton reacted with a polemic big-balls celebration as he buried the last-second shot, inspired by none other than Sam Cassell. “I’ve been waiting for that, man. It was just right in the moment. I’ll take that fine gladly,” he assured.
He also had no problem with being taunted by the audience. “That one was unexpected. I didn’t know we had beef. I think now that that label is there, it’s going to be that every time we play somebody on the road. It’ll probably follow me until the next poll comes out. Overrate that,” he expressed postgame.
Tyrese then praised his team’s unwillingness to lose. “We just have a resilient group, man,” he said after scoring 19 points last night. “We just figure out ways to win. We don’t give up. We’re battle-tested as a group. We’ve basically been together for about two years now and that continuity has been really good for us.”
His coach, on the other hand, directed his admiration for his main star. “You don’t see this very often, let alone twice in one week,” Rick Carlisle said, as Haliburton led an 8-0 run in the final 50 seconds of Game 2. “Tyrese, he came through again. We’re very fortunate.”