Two weeks ago, not a few Pacers fans were beside themselves in anger after The Athletic published an anonymous poll that pointed to Tyrese Haliburton as the most “overrated” player in the National Basketball Association. Not that the numbers were conclusive; only 90 of his so-called peers participated, and he topped the list with a 14.4% plurality. Neither was the methodology sound; after all, such multiple Most Valuable Player award winners as Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James were named as well.
To be sure, Haliburton saw fit to view the news as a positive. “I must be doing something right if that’s the case,” he noted, rightly indicating the interplay of ego and jealousy for those who were counted in the survey. “I know who I am. I’m confident in my own skin and not worried what anybody thinks.” And why should he have been, really? He’s a two-time All-Star and reigning All-NBA selection that just earned a gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics as a bona fide member of Team USA.
That said, Haliburton was most definitely spurred to prove his worth in the aftermath. On the same day The Athletic’s piece went live, he put up 21 points and 12 assists to lead the Pacers to a second-straight victory over the Bucks. Since then, he has normed a remarkable 19.8 markers (on 51% shooting from the field, a good 400 basis points above his regular season average), 10.5 dimes, and 6.2 caroms. And, most importantly, he has steered the blue and gold to a 2-0 advantage versus the top-seed Cavaliers in the East semifinals.
To argue that Haliburton has given the lie to his “overrated” tag would be to understate how influential he has been to the Pacers’ playoff success to date. For good measure, he has been responsible for two game winners that all but underscored his capacity to deliver under pressure; one, a running lay-in over the outstretched arms of Antetokounmpo, sent the Bucks packing, and the other, a trey after a rebound off his own missed free throw, clinched yesterday’s set-to against the vaunted Cavaliers.
Bottom line, Haliburton is clutch. In the play-by-play era dating back to 1977, he and all-time-great LeBron James are the only players to have multiple go-ahead baskets in the last two seconds of a contest over a single playoff run. And, given the benefit of hindsight, the same fans who railed against The Athletic’s article are now thankful for it. Clearly, there’s no better Hali than a wronged Hali.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
