Tyrese Haliburton is the engine that drives Indiana. And now the engine is misfiring.
The All-Star point guard entered the Eastern Conference semifinals with a sore back and suffered a lengthy slump. And he dragged the Pacers with him in a 121-117 loss in Game 1 on Monday at a packed Garden.
Haliburton scored just six points (less than a third of his season average) and finished minus-12. He had eight assists, four steals, three turnovers and one nightmarish performance on the big stage.
“Obviously, I was frustrated that I had the advantage in Game 1 and felt like I should have won that game. At the end of the day, it all starts with me and I’ll be better in Game 2.” Haliburton said the Knicks haven’t done anything out of the ordinary to slow him down. “No. They are a good defensive team, so [but] We have to be better. ”
This wasn’t the first time Halliburton had a bad day. It only shines brightest at the most important moments.
But Haliburton has been out of action since injuring his hamstring midway through the season and missing 10 of 11 games in January.
Prior to his absence, he was averaging 23.6 points and 12.6 assists on 49.6% shooting and 40% from deep. He hasn’t changed at all since he came back.
From his return on Jan. 30 until the end of the regular season, Haliburton averaged 16.8 points and 9.3 assists on 45.5 percent shooting and 32.4 attempts from deep.
In Indiana’s first-round series win over the Bucs, his shooting percentage dropped to 43.5 percent and just 29.6 percent from three.
The matchup between point guard and Jalen Brunson was a mismatch. The Knicks star scored 43 points, including 21 points in a crucial fourth quarter when Haliburton was held scoreless.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks in the NBA playoffs
In that fateful final four minutes, Brunson scored 12 points while Haliburton committed three turnovers and was too impatient for a screen, resulting in an offensive foul on Myles Turner with 12 seconds left.
“We didn’t have enough stops. Donte. [DiVincenzo] If I hit a big shot there, I probably should have rotated harder,” Haliburton said. “And the breaks on offense were the worst. Should have waited for the screen. Yeah, too many turnovers for me. We’ve got to be better.”
I’m sure you will.
“So I think he’s been the centerpiece of everyone’s defensive game plan all year long,” TJ McConnell said. “I don’t think (that anyone would fire him). There’s never been a game where I watched him play against a team and stopped covering it.
“He gets trapped every time he goes down or pick-and-roll. And the best thing about Tyrese is he doesn’t force bad shots. He gets other people involved, so I We really trust him, he always has the ball in his hands.”
