Tyrese Haliburton made sure his dad’s return to the stands was a memorable one, delivering a stellar performance as the Indiana Pacers topped the New York Knicks 130-121 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Pacers’ front office told John Haliburton to stay away from home and road Pacers games following an on-court incident with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first round on April 29. The elder Haliburton issued an apology on social media following the incident.
“I sincerely apologize to Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Pacers organization for my actions following tonight’s game,” he said. “This was not a good reflection on our sport or my son and I will not make that mistake again.”
The Pacers reversed the ban this week, and John Haliburton sat in a private box for Tuesday’s game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Tyrese Haliburton: Dad’s Presence is Special
John Haliburton got to watch his son put on a show. Tyrese posted a triple-double, putting up 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds, helping the Pacers to a 3-1 series lead.
“I just wanted to put on a good performance,” Haliburton said. “I wanted to win the game. Obviously my dad being here is special. Growing up, my dad was reffing a lot on the weekends, so he didn’t get to come to many of my games growing up, so when he would come to my games, I would want to play well. So with him being in the building, of course I wanted to play well.”
Tyrese Haliburton became the first player in NBA history to record at least 30 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds in a game without committing a single turnover.
“I feel like we making up stats at some point to make me look better,” Haliburton said. “I’m just trying to play the right way, man, I just want to impact winning. … I’m just trying to do that to the best of my ability. We’re building something special here. We’re having a lot of fun with what we’re doing. I feel like I’m at the forefront of that with a lot of these guys.”
Pacers 1 Win Away From Breaking Finals Drought
Haliburton and the Pacers are now one win away from the NBA Finals. Indiana’s last appearance in the finals came in 2000.
The Pacers built a 20-point lead in Game 3 but let it slip away and the Knicks gained some momentum. But Haliburton led the way in the critical Game 4 clash, setting the pace and making all the right plays.
“I just want to be able to prove that I can respond when my back’s against the wall, when our team’s back is against the wall,” he said. “This is a big win for us because if we go back down there 2-2, it’s a little different momentum-wise.”
Haliburton was dubbed the “most overrated” player in the league in an anonymous poll of NBA players conducted by The Athletic. But the 25-year-old has put that to bed with his performance during this playoff run.
Game 5 is scheduled for Thursday back in New York.
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