Why Tyrese Haliburton thinks he’s Pacers’ ‘good mom’

Tyrese Haliburton has clearly been reinvigorated by the fact that he was called the most overrated player in the NBA, and the Indiana Pacers continue to thrive as a result. Haliburton was masterful for the Pacers in Game 1 of their second-round matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 22 points and 13 assists will garner most of the attention, but Haliburton had the ball on a string and was like a queen on a chessboard with the way he dissected the Cavs’ defense in the Pacers’ 121-112 victory.

Haliburton is following the Chris Paul-mold of a superstar player; he is as unselfish as it gets and is willing to sacrifice personal production for the betterment of the team. And the Pacers star relishes the chance to feed his teammates plenty of opportunities at a bucket, even calling himself the team’s “mom” in the process.

“I feel like I facilitated at a high rate. Just try to get guys involved and try to make the right play. Try to take care of the ball as much as I can and help lead the team. That’s why I’ve said many times, being a point guard is like being a mom. Your job is to take care of everybody, just trying to do that at a high level,” Haliburton said in his postgame presser following the Pacers’ win on Sunday, via the official NBA account on X (formerly Twitter).

“I guess if we win the game, I was a good mom.”