The Indiana Pacers finally took off during the 2024-2025 NBA season, primarily because of their All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Haliburton led the Pacers to their first finals appearance in 25 years. Indiana would lose in seven games to the Oklahoma City Thunder, with its Game 7 forever marred by Haliburton rupturing his right Achilles tendon.
However, according to head coach Rick Carlisle, the team proved their championship caliber, something Haliburton unlocked with his play and leadership. The veteran coach has long recognized the point guard’s greatness since his trade from the Sacramento Kings in 2022.
So, during that one crucial talk at a restaurant, Carlisle immediately turned “the keys” of Indiana over to the new leader of the rebuilding Pacers — and he has no regrets.
“I went up and I shook hands. I looked him in the eye and said, ‘I know how you feel. I know this is a shocking situation,” Carlisle said on The Zach Lowe Show. “But look me in the eyes and watch what I’m telling you. This is your team. You have the opportunity of a lifetime here. I’m turning the keys over to you.”
Carlisle’s trust in Hali paid off
In 2021-2022, the team finished in 13th place with 25 wins. Domantas Sabonis was still at the helm, but the organization decided it was time to rebuild. So, they traded away Sabonis, together with Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb, to Sacramento.
With Haliburton leading, the Pacers reached their first playoffs since the 2019-2020 season in 2024. They made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals, eventually losing to the Boston Celtics.
Indiana rebounded the next season, relying on its core of Haliburton, former champion Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, T.J. McConnell, Obi Toppin and Andrew Nembhard.
The team finished fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 50-32 record and reached the conference finals, as they set out to do, where they defeated franchise rivals New York Knicks (4-2).
Haliburton averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists, a slight dip from his All-Star numbers. Nevertheless, he was essentially the center of the Pacers’ fast-paced offense, meeting Carlisle’s expectations.
“You’re running this thing, and I am giving you my trust right now going forward.. I’m turning the keys over to you,” he said. “To his credit, he took the keys and ran, and he jumped into stuff in the community right away.”
New Reggie
Reggie Miller’s iconic choke sign made a comeback during this season’s playoffs because Haliburton seemingly unlocked the clutch gene the Pacers legend used to haunt his opponents.
“He’s become a second iteration of Reggie Miller in many ways,” Carlisle said.
In four separate occasions in the playoffs, including the finals, Haliburton has converted four game-winning shots against Indiana’s matchups:
Eastern Conference opening round against Milwaukee, Game 5 (series-clincher); semifinals against Cleveland, Game 2; conference finals against New York, Game 1; NBA Finals, Game 1 against OKC.
Carlisle said he didn’t go wrong in trusting Haliburton during these make-or-break moments.
“He knows that I have implicit trust in him,” the coach said. “That at the end of games, whenever possible, we’re not calling timeouts, we’re putting the ball in his hands to create … It all culminated in this absolutely unbelievable run of shotmaking.”
Haliburton ended the finals series with a tragic injury he sustained midway through the first quarter of the decisive Game 7. He is expected to miss the entire 2025-2026 season, but he is making strides in recovery.
All the Pacers can do now is make do without Haliburton in the meantime and trust that he will return soon. After all, trusting him — as Carlisle showed — was what breathed life into Indiana three years ago.