Tyrese Haliburton delivered a 31-point performance to help the Indiana Pacers eliminate the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers, and LeBron James took notice.
Following Indiana’s 114-105 Game 5 win in Cleveland on Tuesday, James posted his reaction on X, writing, “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!”
The fourth-seeded Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a decade after rallying from a 19-point deficit in the first half.
Haliburton knocked down five of his six three-pointers in the second quarter alone, leading Indiana’s comeback to cut Cleveland’s early advantage to 56-52 at halftime.
Indiana outscored the Cavaliers 33-20 in the third quarter, using a 17-2 run to take a nine-point lead entering the final period.
Pascal Siakam added 21 points for the Pacers, who won all three road games in the series at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
It marked the first time since 2005 that Indiana claimed three road victories in a single playoff series.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 35 points but shot just 4-of-13 from beyond the arc, while Darius Garland managed only 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
The Cavaliers, who had the NBA’s second-best record during the regular season at 64-18, were held to 38.9% from the field and 9-of-35 from deep in the loss.
Cleveland opened the second quarter with a 44-25 lead, but their offensive rhythm unraveled as Indiana sped up the tempo and forced turnovers.
The Cavs dropped three home playoff games for the first time in franchise history, ending their postseason run after sweeping Miami in the first round.
Indiana now awaits the winner between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, with New York holding a 3-1 series lead ahead of Wednesday night’s Game 5 at TD Garden.
The Pacers are seeking their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000.
