May 27, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives to the hoop past New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa (5) during the first quarter of game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Sought Advice From Surprising Basketball Great to Prepare for Postseason

Originally posted on Indianapolis Pacers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated May 28, 2025 4:21 PM ET

Tyrese Haliburton has become the story for the Indiana Pacers' season. When he is firing on all cylinders as he was in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, they are a tough team to beat.

Haliburton continues to put up crazy numbers, including 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 15 assists in that Game 4 victory over the Knicks. It's the first time ever that someone has put up those stats in a playoff game.

The superstar point guard made sure to prepare for this playoffs a little differently than he did for last year's run. He knew that this team had a chance to go deeper after getting playoff experience.

Haliburton reached out to a surprising player in order to get some advice on how he should approach these playoffs. He reached out to one of the greatest basketball players ever, Sue Bird.

Bird is one of the best women's basketball players of all time. He asked her the best way for him to find a balance between being aggressive as a scorer and being a passer.

More on this - Tyrese told me he wants to have conversations with the all time greats at their position. That Sue told him to trust himself and be honest with himself. To not let his IQ overcomplicate and get in the way of what the game is giving him.
During the bucks series,… https://t.co/Upn93lin9q
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) May 28, 2025

"Well, clearly he's figured it out. I think my favorite part about watching Tyrese and this run is, yes, the clutch play, the big moments. But it's been a little up and down at times, and that's the reality. I think a lot of times, you talk about top players, you talk about All-Stars, and you see their great play. But it always comes with a bad quarter, a bad game, a bad stretch."

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Haliburton has not had fantastic games in every series. Game 3 in pretty much every series has been his worst performances, but that hasn't stopped him from being great in the other games.

At times, he is still trying to figure out that balance between being a scorer and a facilitator. He's clearly done a better job as of late, figuring out that balance.

So far this playoffs, Haliburton is averaging 19.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game. He is shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from three.

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