The Indiana Pacers defied the odds this season and were able to fight their way to the NBA Finals. The team was in the Conference Finals last year, but they weren’t expected to make it further than any other Eastern Conference team.
The Pacers are a well-constructed team, but a big reason they have a chance at a championship is star guard Tyrese Haliburton. He’s silenced a lot of critics this postseason. One player who has been very supportive of Haliburton is Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
The two played together for Team USA during the 2024 Summer Olympics, and while Haliburton didn’t have a role on that team, he did form a relationship with the future Hall of Famer. James had a lot of praise for the All-Star guard ahead of the NBA Finals.
“You look at what’s going on with the Pacers throughout the regular season and now throughout the postseason, you get it,” James said 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.”
James Says Pacers Are ‘Built Perfectly’
While Haliburton is the face of the Pacers, he’s more of a traditional point guard who prefers to pass than to score. The biggest reason Indiana is in the NBA Finals is due to a deep roster that features several players who can make shots.
James thinks Haliburton is the driving force, but he’s really impressed with the team’s roster as a whole.
“Hali is one of them ones,” James said. “The success is not happening just because it just came out of the blue. It’s happening because of Hali and that team. They’re built perfectly for that group.”
Prior to last season, the Pacers hadn’t won a playoff series since the 2013-14 season. They’ve now been to the Conference Finals back-to-back years and have a chance to win their first championship since 1972-73, when they won an ABA championship prior to the merger.
James Also Praises Pascal Siakam
It’s very difficult to get to the NBA Finals with just one star. While Haliburton is the biggest name on the team, the Pacers also have three-time All-Star Pascal Siakam on the roster. Even with Haliburton’s performance in the Eastern Conference Finals, Siakam was named MVP of the series.
James made sure to shout out the veteran forward when praising the Pacers.
“They’ve also got guys who have won a championship before,” James said. “Pascal has won a championship with the Raptors … they’ve got guys that are not afraid of the moment and guys that are not afraid to fail.”
Haliburton and Siakam may never be considered top-five superstars in the NBA, but they clearly have formed a very strong duo. If they can actually win the championship, it would be the second one for Siakam. He may be in the Hall of Fame conversation if that happens.
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