Indiana Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton Vocal on Crucial Mistake that Led to Forgettable Game 1 Performance Vs. New York Knicks

Haliburton is Indiana’s best player. There’s just no two ways about that. He did not play the part in Game 1, though, finishing with six points on 2-of-6 shooting, to go along with two rebounds, eight assists, four steals, and three turnovers in 36 minutes of action.

While it wasn’t exactly a horrendous performance from the 24-year-old, it just wasn’t enough to lead his team over Jalen Brunson and the Knicks.

After the game, Haliburton admitted that he got caught up in trying to get his teammates involved throughout the game — a fatal error that cost them dearly:

“I erred on the side of playmaking … and that wasn’t the right decision for me,” Haliburton said Tuesday following the team’s practice, via Brian Windhorst of ESPN. “I still got to be who I am, but yeah, I’ll just be better tomorrow.”

There’s no denying that Haliburton is one of the top playmakers in the game today, but it’s also true that the Pacers need him to be aggressive scoring-wise. As he said, he’ll be better in Game 2.

‘The World Ain’t Ending’

Despite the tough loss, however, Haliburton remains confident in his team’s ability to come out of this series:

“[This] is everything I’ve ever asked for. I’ve always wanted to play in the playoffs,” he said. “The world ain’t ending. We lost one game. I understand that we have an opportunity to get another one tomorrow and go home 1-1, so I’m not hitting a panic button or alarm or anything.”

As they always say, a series only begins once one of the teams notches a road win. That’s exactly what the Pacers will be set out to do on Wednesday night.