Pacers' Rick Carlisle Takes Aim at Tyrese Haliburton Critics

The Indiana Pacers are deadlocked at 1-1 in the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a series that has seen star Tyrese Haliburton struggle to have his usual impact.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle came to the defense of his star amid the criticism being hurled by NBA fans.

For the entire playoffs, Haliburton is averaging 18.4 points per game, 9.3 assists, and 5.8 rebounds

In the NBA Finals, he is only averaging 15.5 points, six assists, and 6.5 rebounds, a noticeable decline in production.

Carlisle believes that while Haliburton's numbers may be down, he does not measure his players' value based on statistics.

“There's a lot more to the game than just scoring. … People shouldn't just look at his points and assists and judge how he played, or judge how any of our guys played just on that,” Carlisle told reporters after the game.

“That's not how our team is built. We are an ecosystem that has to function together. We've got to score enough points to win the game but who gets them and how they get them, not important.”

While Haliburton's numbers are down, he still managed to produce a magical moment in Game 1, hitting a go-ahead mid-range jumper to pull off an impressive comeback and secure an upset victory.

He continues to perform well late in games, when it matters most, though his passenger-like play in the first three quarters will need to be better if the Pacers want to win the title.