National Basketball Association

Tyrese Haliburton and his ultra-fun Pacers make for a must-see NBA Cup final

Updated Dec. 8, 2023 12:41 a.m. ET

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Yaron Weitzman

FOX Sports NBA Writer

It's been a long time since we've seen a player do for a team what Tyrese Haliburton is doing for the Indiana Pacers. It's not just that he's awesome, or routinely putting up video game-like numbers, though let's take a moment to appreciate how he torched the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday night in the Pacers' 128-119 In-Season Tournament semifinal victory, sending them to the tournament championship game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. 

Haliburton racked up 27 points on 11-for-19 shooting. He dished out 15 assists. He did all that without turning the ball over a single time, making it his third 15-assist, zero-turnover game of the season, which matches the NBA single-season record. He controlled the game, mixing in nasty step-back 3s with slick pocket passes with improbable one-handed cross-court dishes with smooth slow-motion floaters. 

So, yeah, he was awesome, like he's been all season. But what separates Haliburton, what makes what he's doing different, is the way he's imprinted his DNA on the entire franchise. The Pacers, for the first time in years, and thanks to Haliburton, who's averaging 26.9 points and a league-best 11.9 assists per game, now have an identity. They play fast and share the ball and score a ton and smile throughout. The best and most recent comparison is probably Steve Nash and the Seven Seconds or Less Suns. 

Like those game-changing Suns teams, these Pacers, who are now 12-8, have been setting all sorts of records. The 123.5 points per 100 possessions they were averaging entering Thursday's game is four more than the Sacramento Kings averaged last season — when they set an NBA record. And the difference between their output and the No. 2 Philadelphia 76ers is the same as the difference between the Sixers and the No. 9 Phoenix Suns. They lead the league in field goal percentage, effective field goal percentage, assists per game and pace. 

[Has NBA Cup run gotten Lakers' season back on track?]

The problem, though, has been on the defensive end, where they were surrendering more points than all but two teams. Which led to the question of whether their style could withstand the weight of higher leverage games. 

The In-Season Tournament is not quite playoff basketball, but its elimination games are tighter than a typical regular season contest. That's why the Pacers' run to the In-Season Tournament championship game — and their victories over the two favorites to come out of the East in June, the Boston Celtics and Bucks — does feel like it means something. 

What's cool is that you can see the Pacers relishing the spotlight. Haliburton especially, who's been open about his desire to build something in Indy around him and his style. For example, this is what he told reporters Thursday night when asked about going to a "Dame Time" celebration after burying a late-game dagger.  

"It's our time. It's our time as a group," he said. "We're playing the right way. We're shocking the world right now and we're going to continue to do that."

The confidence appears to be oozing into the entire locker room. "I guess we're waking up the rest of the nation right now," Myles Turner added.. 

The Pacers are not a title contender. Not yet. But these performances on a national stage do feel like the start of something. What that is, we can't say yet. 

What is clear, though, is with Haliburton at the helm, it's going to be a hell of a ride.

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He is the author of "Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports." Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.

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