INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Brunson often declares “it’s on me” after any dismal offensive performance by the Knicks, and counterpart Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton is no different in that regard.
Despite finishing with a team-high 20 points, Haliburton squarely put the onus on himself for the Pacers letting the Knicks back in the series, with Game 4 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.
“Honestly, I think a lot of our offensive struggles in the second half will be due to me,” said Haliburton, who committed three of Indiana’s 14 turnovers.
I didn’t do a great job of getting downhill and just making plays.
I feel like I didn’t do, personally, a great job at that.
INDIANAPOLIS — After the Knicks have a poor offensive showing, Jalen Brunson frequently says, “It’s on me.” Tyrese Haliburton, the point guard for the Pacers, is no exception.
The Knicks won Game 3 106-100 to earn their first victory of the Eastern Conference finals, holding Indiana and Haliburton to a playoff-low 100 points, including just 42 in the second half.
Even though Haliburton finished with a team-high 20 points, he took full responsibility for the Pacers’ failure to allow the Knicks to win Game 4 of the series on Tuesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“I think I’ll be responsible for a lot of our offensive problems in the second half,” Haliburton, who was responsible for three of Indiana’s 14 turnovers, said. Our execution wasn’t very good, in my opinion. I wasn’t very good at going downhill and just making plays. I need to perform better there.
“I believe I’m frequently called upon to move players into the proper positions in the closing minutes of games. Personally, I don’t think I did a very good job of that. We can undoubtedly improve our execution in the final stretch, and I am the first to do so. You cope with it, watch movies, recover, and get ready for Game 4. “”.
After making a total of 28 3-pointers in the first two victories in New York, Indiana shot a dismal 5-for-25 from 3-point range in the game, blowing a 20-point lead in the second quarter.
The Knicks’ redesigned second unit, which included Josh Hart, Miles McBride, and little-used veterans Delon Wright and Landry Shamet, “wreaked havoc” defensively and made the Pacers slow down, Haliburton continued.
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Instead of pushing the tempo, the two-time All-Star admitted that he “walked the ball up the court” far too frequently.
“I’m already thinking about it and kicking myself for it, so it’s definitely an area where I know I’m going to feel bad after watching a movie. We seem to have kind of stagnated on that end, in my opinion. We missed a few shots—we were only 5 for 25 from 3, which is not ideal.
I am aware that there is much room for improvement in this area. I already know that’s what the movie will show me. Therefore, I need to improve my ability to keep up with the game. A 42-point [second] half obviously isn’t us. Therefore, we’ll assess what we can do better there and make improvements. “”.
