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Tyrese Haliburton calls Jrue Holiday the best defender in the NBA, and says he has been it for a ‘long time’ after the Celtics’ clutch Game 1 win against the Pacers

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Ajinkya Aswale | Last updated 5/22/24

The Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 133 – 128 in overtime in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals. As such, in the post-match press conference, the Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton had high praise for his Celtics counterpart, Jrue Holiday .

[Jrue Holiday] is the best defender in the NBA and has been for a long time. I’ll learn from it, and I’ll be better in Game 2.
Tyrese Haliburton after the game

Holiday put up an astonishing performance both offensively and defensively to take the Celtics over the line. He put up 28 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. He also added 3 steals to this outstanding all-round performance. Some Celtics fans are even calling this outing his best performance yet in a Boston shirt. Holiday played lockdown defense on the Pacer’s best threat, Haliburton, which was the final push that the Celtics needed to get over the line.

"[Jrue Holiday] is the best defender in the NBA and has been for a long time. … I'll learn from it and I'll be better in Game 2."

Hali with high praise for Jrue and the C's defense pic.twitter.com/XmOked2KOo
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 22, 2024

While Haliburton did admit Holiday’s defensive prowess, he is not the only one who believes so. In an anonymous poll conducted by The Athletic last year, Jrue Holiday was named as the league’s best defender. A hundred players were surveyed anonymously, and Jrue Holiday received 28.7% of the total votes.

Fouls and Turnovers cost the Pacers game 1 against the Celtics

The Indiana Pacers had 21 turnovers today against the Boston Celtics, which led to them conceding 35 points just off of turnovers. The Celtics also attempted 30 free throws, while the Pacers were shy by 20 in comparison and attempted only 10.

Tyrese Haliburton committed two turnovers, one at the end of regulation and another in overtime, which enabled Boston to come back from a five-point deficit in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and win 133-128 on Tuesday night. Each of these turnovers was crucial in the Celtics’ victory.

The Pacers fans and critics have called out Haliburton on social media for folding under pressure after he dribbled the ball off his foot and gave the ball away in crucial moments of the game.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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