Even when he’s winning, Tyrese Haliburton finds a way to draw criticism.
The Indiana Pacers star was voted the NBA‘s most overrated player by his peers but responded with a series of dominant performances in the Eastern Conference finals.
Puma dropped an ‘Overrate That’ T-shirt ahead of Game 5 against the New York Knicks — a 111-94 defeat that took the series back to Indiana with Haliburton managing just eight points.
That was a win for the haters, but the guard bounced back with 21 points and 13 assists in a series-clinching win.
Haliburton averaged 26.5 points and 12 assists in six games against the Knicks and will now face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s formidable defense in the NBA Finals.
After the game, TNT Sports host Ernie Johnson was given the honor of announcing the MVP.
As he spoke, Haliburton appeared to pose for a photo.
“And that MVP is…,” continued Johnson as a beaming Haliburton began to walk forwards. “Pascal Siakam.”
The crowd roared, and somebody appeared to pat Hali on the shoulder in commiseration.
Fans were not kind in the comments under the viral social media post.
“Hahaha he’s so corny,” wrote one.
“He had one insane game. Other then that pascal dominated the series,” added a second.
View Tweet: t.co/4w2Q6JszAx
GettySiakam was crowned instead of a brilliant series[/caption] GettyThe Pacers will go into the Finals as underdogs[/caption]“He’s gotta chill with his ego,” a third posted.
“He was so shocked lmao his face is priceless,” a fourth said.
Other fans defended Haliburton, claiming he deserved the title and suggesting he was only posing for a photo.
And the player himself was over the moon to be in the Finals.
“I don’t even have words right now, it’s really exciting,” he said. “We’ll enjoy this one for now, and there’s four more. There’s a lot more work to do, really proud of this group.
“I’m going to the NBA Finals. This feels really good.”
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Fellow pro Paul George says Hali deserves more credit.
“In my eyes, I think he is a superstar,” he said on Podcast P. “He’s the face of the NBA. He is the No.1 option.”
In the Wine and Gold Talk podcast, hosts Ethan Sands and Chris Fedor suggested that some players were jealous of Haliburton.
“Tyrese Haliburton went off 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, five triples, four steals, and maybe most impressively, zero turnovers,” noted Sands.
“The only game with 30 points and 15 rebounds with zero turnovers in playoff history.”
“I think players are jealous. I do,” argued Fedor. “I think them making him the quote, unquote, most overrated player voting for him that way. I think it was a combination of lunacy.
“I think it was a combination of jealousy, and I think it was a combination of just hate.”
“I think he’s an easy guy to dislike because he is mouthy, because he does gesticulate, because he can get under your skin with some of the things that he does.
“And he has like a flamboyance to him. He has a flair to him, and it makes him an easy target.”
Haliburton was branded overrated by fellow playersGettySome NBA players have been overlooked in the past after their personalities overshadowed their talent.
One man not known for his ego is Siakam, who was typically humble when discussing his award.
“I’m just a young kid from Cameroon, that moved to the US when I was eighteen years old and gave everything to the game of basketball,” he said.
After taking flak from the media, fans and fellow pros, Haliburton could well have the last laugh.
But the superstar and Siakam will both need to be at their best to stand any chance of beating OKC.
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