Indiana Pacer Guard Tyrese Haliburton: "I'm Fine."
Indiana Pacer Guard Tyrese Haliburton on Limping After Game 2: “I’m Fine. I’ll Be Ready for Game 3”
INDIANAPOLIS–Indiana Pacer guard Tyrese Haliburton was seen limping out of the postgame pressroom after his team lost Game 2 of the NBA Finals, but on Tuesday afternoon he offered some reassurance.
“I’m fine. It was really just a lower leg thing. I’ll leave it at that. I don’t think there’s anything more to elaborate. I’ll be ready to go for Game 3,” said Haliburton in a Tuesday press conference.
His Head Coach Rick Carlisle said Haliburton is experiencing some “discomfort.”
“He feels it, but each day it’s getting better. I don’t think you’ll hear him making a big deal out of it. We’ve got a couple guys that are slightly under the weather, but I don’t think anything’s going to keep these guys from playing in the game,” said Carlisle.
Haliburton said he’s kept his preparation and routine the same.
“I’m not superstitious or anything, but I try to treat every game the same way. I still eat goldfish at 60 minutes on the clock. I still go to chapel. On the road, though, I don’t go to chapel as much. I kind of do a private chapel session,” said Haliburton.
Haliburton credits Carlisle for helping him learn how to watch film better.
“He’s helped me understand the importance of watching the whole game. I’m not talking about just my minutes, but other guys’ minutes as well just to see how I can help my teammates. All of that stuff is really important,” said Haliburton.
He also discussed how he’s applied that to recent film sessions about trying to figure out how to score on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s defense, which is the best in the NBA.
“I feel like I haven’t been great the first two games by any means. I’m just trying to be the best version of me that I can be. I’ve just been watching film to see where I can get better. (OKC) mixes up coverages. I think their Coach, Coach Daigenault, isn’t afraid to do things on the fly. He doesn’t do things that are very traditional,” said Haliburton.
Haliburton finished the last game with 17 points, but only had five points heading into the fourth quarter.
“Everything that’s already happened doesn’t matter besides the score of the series (which is now 1-1). We’ve got to be better and we realize that,” said Carlisle.
Game 3 is Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis with tipoff coming up at 8:30. Carlisle said he knows the environment will be a crazy one.
“The level of interest is high in our team. We’ve always had great fans here,” said Carlisle.
