LeBron James, the former Cleveland native, was locked into Game 5 of the Cavaliers vs. Pacers series. The ex-Cavaliers star seemed to support both sides as his former team faced his Olympic teammate Tyrese Haliburton’s team, the Pacers. The Cavaliers started the game strong and took a 19-point lead early in the second quarter. However, the Pacers rallied back, cutting the lead to four points at halftime.
This rally was led by the Pacers’ star Haliburton. James saw this and took to social media, expressing his opinion on the 25-year-old. James referred to an old report that claimed NBA players voted Haliburton as the most overrated player in the league.
“Hali fkn hooping!!!! Where the lames who said he was overrated??!! Quiet as hell. That boy NICE and even more someone everyone would love to play with!”, said James on X.
Haliburton had 17 points in the first half alone. The third quarter was not a pleasant sight for the Cavaliers as they went dry on the offensive end of the floor. Donovan Mitchell and his team struggled to make a shot for over six minutes. Meanwhile, the Pacers continued to rally back into the game and eventually took a nine-point lead at the end of the third quarter. Haliburton scored seven points in the quarter and had 24 points at the end of the third. He ended the game with 31 points as the Pacers closed out the series in Game 5 with a 114-105 win.
NBA Players Claim Haliburton Is Overrated: How Did The Pacers Star Respond?
The Athletic’s annual player survey showed that Tyrese Haliburton received the highest number of votes to be deemed the most overrated star in the NBA. He beat the likes of Rudy Gobert, Trae Young, and Dillon Brooks to lead this category.
In response to this, Haliburton said, “I must be doing something right if that’s the case. I’m good. I could care less.” Then he used it as his fuel to lead the Pacers in their first-round series with the Bucks and helped Indiana close out the series in five games. Haliburton averaged 17.6 points, 11.6 assists, and 6.4 rebounds in that series.
Now, the Pacers close out their series vs. the Cavaliers in five games as well. Credit also goes to players like Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam for being reliable on both ends of the floor. Tyrese Haliburton has averaged 17.4 points, 7.0 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in his last 5 games against the Cavaliers.
When Haliburton Replicated LeBron James’ Buzzer Beater
Tyrese Haliburton hit a clutch game-winner to close out Game 2 in the Cavaliers series. Pacers star center Myles Turner was reminded of a game-winner he was part of back in 2018 that featured Lakers’ superstar LeBron James.
“Damn This Hit Home… That’s So Real Same Spot And Everything,” wrote Turner. Haliburton and James were also teammates in the Olympics last summer. Even though Haliburton got very limited minutes on that team, the time they spent together has made LeBron conclude that Haliburton is a special player.
