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Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Regrets Not Speaking at Media Session

Originally posted on Indianapolis Pacers on SI
By Matt Levine | Last updated May 12, 2025 12:38 PM ET

The Indiana Pacers blew out the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series, taking a 3-1 lead in the matchup. Game 4 was over before anyone realized it, and the Pacers showed impressive dominance.

More Pacers news: Cavaliers Have Surprising Advantage Over Pacers in One Key Area

Indiana will be looking to close the series out in Game 5, but after Game 4, something interesting happened.

One of the biggest storylines off the court came after Game 3, when star guard Tyrese Haliburton didn't attend his media session. After a four-point dud of a game, Haliburton wasn't made available.

Haliburton originally pushed back on the criticism that he received, but after Game 4, he was singing a different tune. The guard discussed the regrets that he had about it all.

"Going back on it, maybe I should've spoke. But I'm a human being.", he said.

Haliburton: "Going back on it, maybe I should've spoke. But I'm a human being."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) May 12, 2025

The decision not to speak to the media after Game 3 was taken as Haliburton not wanting to deal with questions about his poor performance. The guard pushed back on that when originally asked.

"I've talked to y'all after almost every game," Haliburton said. "If I'm not made available, it's not always my decision. I can't control it. I mean, you're talking to me now. Any questions you have about the game last night, you can ask me right now. I just was not made available last night. I'm sure people wanted to hear what I had to say after last night's game, but I'm here right now to talk to you, so if you want to ask me, you're more than welcome to.”

The Pacers can't afford to have Haliburton have games like he did in Game 3, especially if they want to close the Cavaliers out. Cleveland will be coming into each of the next few games with a sense of desperation as they look to avoid elimination.

Haliburton needs to be the leader for this team, both on and off the court. If he can put together another strong showing to rally his teammates, Indiana could be heading to their second straight Eastern Conference Finals.

More Pacers news:

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Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Pushes Back on Criticism Over Skipped Media Session

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This article first appeared on Indianapolis Pacers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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