Overrate this
Pacers' Haliburton turns a snub into motivation to excel in the playoffs
Associated Press photo
Motivation comes in a variety of forms for athletes. Famously being cut from his high school varsity basketball team as a sophomore helped fuel Michael Jordan’s ascent to the top of his sport, and he later invented perceived slights as incentive to stay there.
For Tyrese Haliburton, there’s no need to make up disrespect. It’s all right there: he was chosen as the NBA’s most overrated player in an anonymous poll of his peers conducted during the regular season by The Athletic.
Rather than wallowing in shame, Haliburton instead has become inarguably the best player in the current playoffs, leading the Indiana Pacers within one victory of just their second spot in the Finals since joining the league half a century ago.
In Wednesday night’s 130-121 victory over the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, Haliburton delivered an unprecedented stat line: 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, four steals and zero turnovers. Online trolls love debating whether Jordan or LeBron James is the greatest of all time, but for all of their accomplishments, neither GOAT candidate had a night exactly like Haliburton’s.
Oscar Robertson and Nikola Jokic are the only other players in NBA history with 30 points, 15 assists and 10 boards in a playoff game, but neither did it without at least one giveaway.
“I'll look at that later and reflect on that at a different time. For me, it's just about winning,” Haliburton told reporters Tuesday. “I wanted to prove I could respond when my back is against the wall, my team's back is against the wall. I feel like we responded the right way.”
Okay, let’s put things in perspective. Every accomplished team and player in every sport has heard the “Over-rated” chant at least once, and it’s actually a sign of grudging respect. Bench-warmers rarely get heckled unless they have questionable hairstyles or taste in tattoos.
And who knows how serious NBA players were in responding to The Athletic’s poll? Someone had to be the most overrated, and no one was about to poke the bear by calling out Jokic, James, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jalen Brunson.
Haliburton probably seemed like a safe choice. He was the 2020-21 rookie of the year while playing for Sacramento and made two All-Star teams, but wasn’t invited to this year’s showcase as his statistics slipped a tad from the past two seasons. He’s not even the most famous baller in Indianapolis; Caitlin Clark gets that distinction by a mile.
But the easy-going demeanor he shows on the court has masked a cutthroat competitor who raised his game by several notches in the postseason.
Asked about the overrated tag as the playoffs began, Haliburton routinely laughed it off. No one is mentioning it anymore, not with the Pacers on the verge of their first conference title since 2000.
On Tuesday, Haliburton seemed more motivated by the presence of his father, John, at the game. John Haliburton had been barred from attending after an on-court run-in with Antetokounmpo in the first round of the playoffs.
Haliburton also seemed stoked to see retired wrestler Triple H in the crowd: “I'm not gonna say it was more special, but Triple H being in the building was pretty fire too.”
Eastern Conference rivals may now be regretting their overrated ballot and might choose to borrow a trick from Congress by voting “present” in future polls. His heroics have added some much-needed spark to a postseason that, aside from the Knicks, is short on major media markets and big-name stars.
He may not need any more incentive to win one more game against the Knicks, but it looks likely that the loaded Oklahoma City Thunder will await the Eastern champion in the Finals. OKC doesn’t need any help, but you can be sure its players will give Haliburton all the respect he deserves.