The Indiana Pacers dominated the Milwaukee Bucks more often than not this season, which is why some people thought they could pull off an upset in Game 1.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was out with an injury, and Doc Rivers is well-known for his struggles in the playoffs, so the table seemed set for a big game.
Instead, the Pacers didn’t seem to come out to the court in the first half, trailing by as many as 30 points, and allowing Damian Lillard to go off for 35 points and six three-pointers in the first two quarters alone.
With that in mind, former NBA champion Paul Pierce admitted to being quite disappointed in Tyrese Haliburton.
Talking on “Undisputed,” the Celtics legend stated that he didn’t know what had happened to the Pacers’ star, who was very passive for most of the game.
“I don’t know what happened to Tyrese Haliburton yesterday.”@PaulPierce34 on the Pacers dropping Game 1 to the Bucks pic.twitter.com/LBobux0tXV
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) April 22, 2024
Patrick Beverley did an outstanding job of making sure Haliburton never got into a rhythm.
His physical and pesky defense made him uncomfortable and forced him to defer, both as a scorer and as a passer.
Notably, this isn’t the first time that Haliburton has been missing in action as a scorer.
He’s an efficient shooter from all three levels, and he’s shown that he can put up points in a hurry when he’s at his best.
The Pacers won’t have Bennedict Mathurin, their best scorer, on the floor again this season.
So, if they want to stand a chance in this series, they need their franchise player to be significantly more aggressive.
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