It was a seesaw game at Madison Square Garden. But the New York Knicks couldn’t respond to their Game 1 downfall. Led by Pascal Siakam’s finest game in his playoff career, the Pacers surged to a 2-0 lead in the ECF. The tide kept turning until the Pacers kept their cool in the fourth quarter once again. However, this wasn’t a game where Tyrese Haliburton featured in the spotlight like Game 1.
Haliburton, who had 31 and 11 in this first game did still manage to match his assist tally. But his shooting heavily waned tonight. Hali shot 5 for 16, failing to generate momentum at any point in the game. “Yeah, to be honest, I was pretty trash at that today,” he commented about his own performance.
Haliburton was still incredibly effective, even though his scoring stumbled. He ran the Pacers’ electric offense, bagging 11 assists and playing the role of a connector. He was upset at not being able to apply pressure on the Knicks’ defense as he did in Game 1. His success mantra pushes him to be great every game. However, Tyrese Haliburton also accepts that not every day is going to be great.
“I think it’s I think that’s part of basketball. It’s not linear success you know. And it’s not linear growth. And it’s not always going to be, you know, this great facilitating game. I have games where I’m not very good at that. So I had to do a better job of that. I’ll do a better job in game three,” said Haliburton on Inside the NBA.
Despite him having a bad game, the Indiana Pacers’ deep attacking arsenal helped them survive against the Knicks’ triple-threat. However, Pascal Siakam just had the game of his life, helping Indiana travel home with a 2-0 lead. He launched for 39 points, shooting 65% from the field, and kept the Pacers in the mix.
May 11, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) dribbles the ball during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Tyrese Haliburton was amazed at watching his ‘veteran’ go nuclear in a pivotal Game 2 victory. But again, he punished himself for falling short of supporting him. “I got to do a better job getting the rock, especially when he’s cooking like that. You know, I think down the stretch I got to do a better job of getting him the ball,” he said about his performance.
Generally, it’s in the face of the troubles of the road that Haliburton has elevated his game for the Pacers. But now it’s time for them to go home with their heads held high. The Pacers have achieved the most vital part of winning a series. And now, they await a gripping atmosphere.
Tyrese Haliburton prepares for a rabid atmosphere at home
Indiana fans are just as passionate as the Knicks faithful. They paint the Gainbridge Fieldhouse yellow, never let the decibels drop, and so far have rallied behind their team throughout this improbable postseason run. However, when the series shifts to Indiana for Game 3, the atmosphere might exceed every other event.
See, Indiana has multiple events to celebrate that day. Aside from the Pacers-Knicks series, they will also host the Indy 500. Hence, the sports charm of the city is at its high. And Tyrese Haliburton can’t wait to experience what that might look like. But he does predict it getting “rowdy”.
“Everybody knows Indy 500 is on the same day, so we’ll have some rowdy fans, maybe a little intoxicated, who knows how to get out there. You know, it’ll be a lot of fun. I think they call it Pacers and racers. You know, it’s my first time experiencing it, so it’ll be a lot of fun. I’m really looking forward to it,” said Haliburton.
While he is excited to see the fervour of the Indiana crowd, Haliburton also sent a message to his team. Just because they took two games on the road, doesn’t mean the job is over.
“Yeah, I think that’s the main conversation right now. You know I think you come here, you steal two, which is a, you know, a great thing, but you can’t relax when you get home. I feel like last series we did that. So I thought we had a great conversation there after the game about it. We got to lock in and take care of game three,” he said.
The Knicks are just coming from a series against the Celtics, where they marched back from a 20-point deficit to win both games at the TD Garden. So, underestimating them is the last thing on the Pacers’ minds. Moreover, with a golden ticket to the Finals on the line, there’s no space to ease up before securing it.
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