“Hali fkn hooping!!!! Where the lames who said he was overrated??!! Quiet as hell. That boy NICE and even more someone everyone would love to play with!” A few days ago, LeBron James made a tweet in support of the Pacers guard. Because some of his peers named him the most overrated player in the NBA in an anonymous poll. Yet, the clutch display was once again in action. It was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who missed the shot at one end. And that led to Tyrese Haliburton’s dagger with 0.3 seconds remaining.

Thus, another final shot and another win for Indy. It has been quite a run from the guard. In these playoffs alone! He did it against the Bucks, the Cavs, and the Knicks. His clutch gene is so undeniable that people are already making comparisons to the ultimate Pacers legend, Reggie Miller. A tweet also suggested how Pacers players are in the chart. But King James is at the top!

“Most go-ahead or game-tying FG’s in the final 5 seconds of 4th/OT (since 1997 playoffs): LeBron James – 8, Reggie Miller – 5, Tyrese Haliburton – 5.” But the night truly belonged to Haliburton. The Pacers came back from a 15-point deficit in the second half as their #0 drilled a mid-range jumper from 21 feet away from the basket. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and one block while shooting 6/13 from the field in 39 minutes. But there are more records to his name.

With this shot, Haliburton brought up his third go-ahead shot in the final five seconds of a game this postseason. According to The Athletic’s James Jackson, it’s the most by any player in a single playoff run in the last quarter century. There was another one showcasing the efficiency of the Pacers guard during the clutch moments.

LeBron James highlights the positive impact of Tyrese Haliburton on the Pacers

“We are a resilient group, we don’t give up until the clock hits zero.” Haliburton continued after the game, “We do a great job of just staying in the moment… We just walk teams down.” Coming back from behind is no easy feat. But the Indiana team seems to find the rhythm at the right time. However, LeBron James seems to know the reason why the tight-knit group performs so well.

Recently, on his podcast, he shared, “You look at what’s going on with the Pacers throughout the regular season. And now throughout the postseason, you get it.” James continued on Mind the Game, “You get why they are the team they are, and it starts with the head of the snake, and that’s with Hali. You can gravitate and bring energy and love and run through a wall for certain guys, and he’s a guy that you would do that for just because of how he plays the game.” LeBron’s words resonate with how the Pacers perform.

Even though Tyrese Haliburton will dominate the headlines with his last-minute bucket. The win against the Thunder was truly a team effort. All five starters scored double-figure points, and Toppin added 17 points from the bench. Winning the Gold medal without playing a minute, to now scoring clutch points one game after another! That’s how Haliburton’s last year truly reflects.