Tyrese Haliburton has propelled the Indiana Pacers to the verge of their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000. With a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers aim to finish the job at Madison Square Garden on May 29 (May 30, Singapore time) against the New York Knicks.
Haliburton delivered a historic Game 4 performance — 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, five threes, four steals, and zero turnovers — the first-ever 30-15-10-0 stat line in NBA playoff history.
“I’m excited about it,” Haliburton said ahead of Game 5. “It’s a tough environment to play in. We’ve got to be ready.”
Indiana’s dominance in transition (65-23 fast-break points across four games) has overwhelmed the Knicks. Jalen Brunson, averaging 33.3 points in the series, acknowledged Haliburton’s brilliance. “He’s a great player. We have to do better,” he said.
New York’s only win came in Game 3, when Karl-Anthony Towns sparked a 20-point comeback. Towns is questionable for Game 5 with a knee issue but remains focused: “We all have to do better defensively,” he said.
Turnovers have plagued the Knicks — 60 in four games — fueling Indiana’s fast-break offense. “We’ve got to clean that up,” Brunson admitted.
Pascal Siakam has supported Haliburton with two 30-point games, and the Pacers carry a six-game playoff road win streak into MSG.
“I just want to impact winning,” Haliburton said, downplaying expectations for another historic outing.
Meanwhile, in the West, Oklahoma City clinched a Finals berth on May 28, crushing Minnesota 124-94 behind 34 points from MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder won the series 4-1 and will host Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 5.
