Tyrese Haliburton promises Pacers will bounce back in Game 2 against Knicks

After surprising all with his recent low-impact exhibition during Game 1 against New York, Tyrese Haliburton has vowed to bounce back in Wednesday’s clash. Indiana lost at the start of the second-round series, mostly due to the fact that their team leader wasn’t his old self during his 36 minutes on the floor. 

The Pacers guard dropped in only one out of his six attempts from beyond the arc, adding up to his low six-point display. The Knicks, inspired by Jalen Brunson, climbed back from being 9 points down in the fourth quarter to take Monday’s game with a 121-117 victory. 

Credit must also be given to New York’s game plan, which was based on denying Haliburton throughout the contest. Despite seeming a bit shy when shooting from range, he was still able to steal 4 balls and hand out 8 assists to his teammates, but still below his NBA-leading average of 11 per game. 

"It's time that Tyrese Haliburton steps up…I love Tyrese Haliburton over 16.5 points "
@ChandlerParsons shares his prop bets for tonight's game #Pacers at #Knicks 👀@FDSportsbook pic.twitter.com/jj3l9YJj2O

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 8, 2024

“I erred on the side of playmaking … and that wasn’t the right decision for me,” he shared on Tuesday after his squad’s training session. “I still got to be who I am, but yeah, I’ll just be better tomorrow.”

His coach agrees that it’s mostly about feeling confident. “At this time of year everybody’s got something going and he’s working at it, doing everything he can to keep himself feeling as good as possible,” Rick Carlisle said. “I’m confident he’ll play, but it’s a concern.”

During Tyrese’s past five performances, at least two-thirds of his attempts have been from the deep, while he’s only taken seven shots from the free throw line in seven postseason games. 

“[This] is everything I’ve ever asked for. I’ve always wanted to play in the playoffs,” he expressed. “The world ain’t ending. We lost one game. I understand that we have an opportunity to get another one tomorrow and go home 1-1, so I’m not hitting a panic button or alarm or anything.”

New York big man Mitchell Robinson injures ankle and will be out for at least 6-8 weeks

The Knicks are used to being short-handed all season long now, but ever since Mitchell Robinson came back from his ankle injury, he’s really impacted his team’s game. However, in a surprise turn of events, the big man has fallen again to injury and will most probably miss out on the rest of the playoffs. 

During Game 1 against the Pacers, the New York center hurt his left ankle after only 12 minutes on court. His team has announced that he would need to be reevaluated again in six to eight weeks, which means he could return to the latter part of the NBA Finals. 

Once the news surfaced online, Mitchell voiced out his frustration in a rather cryptic message in which he vows to take revenge on someone. As drama ensued, fans on social media believe he’s talking about Joel Embiid, who clashed against him many times during his team’s first round elimination.

“This is so f—ked up dawg like I don’t even know what to say,” Robinson posted on X this past Tuesday evening. “This is not over! I WILL SEEK REVENGE.”