Tyrese Haliburton addressed Indiana’s 106-100 defeat to the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He acknowledged the Pacers’ poor shooting from three-point range, noting, “Some missed shots, you know, five for 25 from three. That’s not ideal.”
Haliburton said he will review game film to analyze the offensive breakdowns, stating, “Felt like we got kind of stagnant on that end.”
When asked about his decision-making on drives, Haliburton explained, “I’m trying to feel out the game, see who’s rotating over. Mitch Robinson is their main rim protector, so when he’s coming over, I’m just trying to make the right play.”
He admitted room for personal improvement, “I could definitely be better there. Again, I watch the film, see my areas of improvement, see if I can get better for Game 4.”
Regarding Karl-Anthony Towns’ fourth-quarter dominance, Haliburton said, “We probably fouled too much down there. He sees over guys — 7-foot big dude — so we got to get up and do a better job of showing help in the gaps.”
Haliburton also discussed the impact of Aaron Nesmith’s injury, noting, “He’s been such a big part of what we do, so it’s not ideal to see. But he gutted it out for us, came through.”
The Pacers faced a tougher defensive challenge with New York’s deeper bench. Haliburton said, “Those guys come in and wreak havoc. I thought we didn’t do a good job of continuing to play fast. I felt like I was walking the ball up every play.”
He took responsibility for slowing the pace, adding, “I know it’s a big area of improvement for me. I just got to do a better job of keeping pace.”
Haliburton reflected on the late-game execution, “I didn’t do a great job of getting downhill and just making plays. Pascal probably should have gotten the ball more.”
When asked about focusing on process versus result, he replied, “You got to focus on the result because it’s 2-1. That’s a game we feel like we were in position to win and didn’t do a good job in the second half.”
Haliburton highlighted the importance of defensive consistency, “You hold a team like that to 106; that’s a game you should win. So 100 points isn’t us.”
He described the third quarter as “a weird quarter” where “the game was stuck” and explained, “We never really pulled away and stayed in that 13 to 15 range.”
Haliburton concluded, “We’ll watch film, flush it, and get ready for Game 4.”
Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with Indiana trailing the series 2-1.
