Pacers’ Grit Falls Short Without Tyrese Haliburton in Game 3 Loss to Celtics
Tyrese Haliburton was eager to assist his teammates in their battle to make a comeback in the Eastern Conference Finals. Other people in the organization determined that he was unable to play, leading to Haliburton missing Game 3 against Boston on Saturday evening.
Tyrese Haliburton’s Absence Felt
Indiana’s top player, who is also the team captain, was missed in the second half due to a hamstring injury, causing the Pacers to have difficulty maintaining composure in a 114-111 defeat against the Celtics. This loss puts them at a 3-0 disadvantage and close to being eliminated for the third time in this postseason.
Tyrese Haliburton, wearing glasses and a gold sweater, cheered on his teammates from the sidelines by pumping his fist and providing encouragement, while they also put in a strong effort.
🚨 Boston Celtics selangkah lagi menuju NBA Finals setelah menang game 3 atas Indiana Pacers yang bermain tanpa Tyrese Haliburton. 😳 pic.twitter.com/bYRLMWZo3b
— Extra Time Indonesia (@idextratime) May 26, 2024
Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell both consistently made important shots throughout the game. Myles Turner assisted in Indiana’s post-dominance and glass control. Pascal Siakam offered another solid choice, and they both contributed to Indiana establishing an 18-point advantage over the team with the most wins in the NBA this season. If a few more rebounds or calls had gone differently, the Pacers could have maintained an undefeated record at home in the playoffs. Instead, their record is six wins and one loss.
TJ McConnell when Tyrese Haliburton doesn’t play: pic.twitter.com/ZVqFxFmsul
— Alterraun⚡ (@Hockfan445) May 26, 2024
Coach Rick Carlisle stated that our main focus throughout the year has been to consistently perform at a high level and give it our all, which the team successfully did. I disagreed with many things, as any Indiana fan would, but we will not be discouraged. We will return on Monday evening to prolong the series.
Even the Pacers, the team that faced the aforementioned deficit, the record is clear that no NBA team has ever won such a playoff series.
If Tyrese Haliburton will not be able to play in Game 3 then the rationale behind making the statement was that one more day of rest would not help much. Or if the concern was a further injury that could be even worse than the current state of George’s leg, would the Pacers risk getting injured again in a win-or-go-home scenario?
The Pacers, however, had posted the best record in the NBA coming into this series and peeled off a three-year playoff barrier, a franchise-record 10-game playoff losing streak, and a decade-long struggle to get to the second round of playoffs. Some would have tipped them for achieving this kind of success just five months back as they had not featured in the conference finals since 2014.
Kevin Pritchard, who serves as the Pacers president of basketball operations, also attempted to build a roster designed to compete at the highest level in case Tyrese Haliburton got injured, but Carlisle made one point clear on Saturday night.
Indiana — without its point guard — isn’t intimidated Monday in Game 4 (8 ET on ESPN) of the series.
“Sometimes, decisions on the field are made by seeing what is ahead of us,” Carlisle stated. “Once again, features the best fans in the NBA here, the greatest basketball building on the planet to play in there, and another one is in front of us to beat these guys, and let me assure you, we are going to go after them.”