In-Season Tournament meant everything for the Pacers
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
It finally happened. The Indiana Pacers franchise finally caught a break and benefited from a decision made by the NBA. Adam Silver wanted to bring importance to November/December basketball, and he did it. The Pacers wanted to take advantage of that opportunity, and they did it. To many teams, this in-season tournament may not have meant much. For the Indiana Pacers, it meant everything.
Obviously, this wasn’t the Playoffs. Nobody is trying to equate this tournament with something more. It wasn’t the same thing as winning in the post-season and going on a deep run when it matters the most. But because of this Tournament, the world is now talking about the Indiana Pacers. Gainbridge Fieldhouse felt like the days of old. Tyrese Haliburton’s superstardom has arrived. The memo has been sent to the rest of the league. And the Indiana Pacers are back on the map.
After having just one nationally televised game on their entire schedule coming into the year, the Pacers just played three straight games in front of a national audience, and turned a lot of heads while doing it. For a franchise working their way back to relevancy in the NBA, the importance of this tournament cannot be overstated. Despite coming up short in the championship game against the Lakers, the Pacers were the biggest winners of the inaugural tourney.
Just look at some of the things said about Tyrese Haliburton and the team over the past week:
Steve Kerr– Haliburton is “A young Steph.”
First Take– “If you did a player poll throughout the NBA of who guys would want to play with.. Jokic and Haliburton are at the top of the list right now.”
WOJ– “Guys are going to want to play with him. Haliburton’s mission is to use this tournament to start making his case around the league, ‘come play with me in Indiana.'”
Stephen A.- “The brother is special. The Pacers are averaging over 128 points per game and that dude is the reason why.”
Barkley– “Haliburton playing so good, James Harden wanna go to Indiana.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo– “He’s amazing. Your point guard is your pace. He’s like a machine.”
Doris Burke– “I couldn’t be more impressed with the Pacers. There’s so many reason this tournament has been fabulous.. but if you’re a young building team, 3rd youngest, it’s invaluable.”
“I want to express a high level of pride in our guys,” said Head coach Rick Carlisle. “Our guys had an amazing run over these five or six weeks. Obviously, Tyrese Haliburton is now a name everyone knows. And our guys got a real taste of what the elevated stage is all about.”
The Pacers will now face the challenge of keeping this momentum in non-tournament games through the rest of the season. They’re finally being recognized and respected across the league, and they’d love nothing more than to build on that. The experience and exposure will prove to be valuable. And who knows? Maybe this tournament will only be a small taste of what’s to come.
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