Knicks Hound Pacers Star into Untimely Disappearing Act

The Indiana Pacers go where Tyrese Haliburton takes them. He may not always look like an All-League offensive maestro as some other score-first point guards, specifically Jalen Brunson, the rival floor general standing opposite of him in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the Indiana offense all starts with his selfless play.

He's helped them churn out wins over every opponent they've faced to this point, feeding various hot hands and keeping the ball moving to find the right play every time down. When he senses the moment, he's aggressive. The 32-point triple-double with 15 assists and zero turnovers he posted in Game 4 will go down as a staple performance for the young guard, as he shot and drove his Pacers into taking a commanding 3-1 lead over the New York Knicks.

They had a chance to send the Knicks home on their own court on Thursday night, but the Knicks showed everyone how the ball-swinging master of pace looks under applied pressure. New York shut him down with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line, holding him to eight points on two buckets while running away 111-84 and forcing a Game 6.

They were in his grill all night, upping the press on Haliburton to prevent him from running right up to the top of the key. Everyone's all around effort rattled the Indiana offense, who slowed down to a halt without his ability to get open for many clean looks and create any space in isolation.