Tyreese Halliburton stepped into the spotlight with a clutch performance with the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2, pushing the Indiana Pacers into an astounding 2-0 series lead.
After hitting a game-winning three-pointer, Halliburton unleashed the infamous Sam Kassel “Big Ball” celebration.
The celebration would cost Halliburton about $15,000, just like what LeBron James and Andre Drummond previously paid for the same gesture. But NBA analyst Chandler Parsons believes it is well spent money.
“This is the most valuable thing you can imagine,” Parsons declared in his run it back podcast, highlighting how special it is for Tylese Halliburton to silence such talented and hostile road crowds.
Parsons said the moment brings even more importance, due to how much the Pacers were overlooked throughout the playoffs, despite their impressive performance.
“They had an incredible regular season, and for some reason they still didn’t get the flowers,” Parsons explained.
“Now they are clearly doomed with this injury issue and don’t have three rotation players. But the pacers have even more jumped under the radar.”
The analyst continues: “They started to struggle and wrote them down. And now the Indiana Pacers have a chance to go home 2-0. I love the celebration (of Halliburton).”
Halliburton’s performance boosts his celebration. After scoring 19 points with 13 assists in Game 1, he scored 22 points with 22 points in Game 2, shooting a perfect 100% from the 3-point range and committed Zero’s turnover elite efficiency to betray the “overrated” chants.
The young point guard is now back in Indianapolis and can enjoy friendly boundaries and supportive fans as the Pacers look to expand their surprising series lead against the short-handed Cavaliers.
A combination of clutch shooting, playmaking sparkle and a new playoff swagger has quickly solidified itself as one of the league’s rising stars.
