{"id":141189,"date":"2025-05-24T01:56:56","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T05:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=141189"},"modified":"2025-05-24T01:56:56","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T05:56:56","slug":"how-team-usa-humbled-tyrese-haliburton-and-fueled-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/24\/how-team-usa-humbled-tyrese-haliburton-and-fueled-him\/","title":{"rendered":"How Team USA Humbled Tyrese Haliburton\u2014And Fueled Him"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tyrese Haliburton<\/a> pulled off one of his signature step-back jumpers. He had the space. He had the timing. The shot fell, electrifying the crowd and lighting up Madison Square Garden<\/a>. Haliburton turned to Pacers legend Reggie Miller<\/a>, mimicking Miller\u2019s infamous \u201cchoke\u201d gesture. For a moment, it felt like a perfect ending. But the replay told another story. His foot grazed the line. The game wasn\u2019t over. Still, Haliburton\u2019s late-game heroics set the tone. Indiana sealed the win in overtime, and Miller nodded across the court in approval. A silent torch had been passed.<\/p>\n

How Team USA Humbled Tyrese Haliburton\u2014And Fueled His Comeback<\/h2>\n

\u201cReally cool he was in the building for that,\u201d Haliburton said<\/a> afterward. That shot wasn\u2019t even his first game-winner of the postseason. He had already delivered clutch moments, trolling Knicks fans just like Miller once did. Even off the court, he echoed that spirit, wearing a hoodie of Miller\u2019s iconic Spike Lee taunt to a postgame presser. This has been a complete 180\u00b0 for Tyrese Haliburton in the playoffs after a slow start, likely caused by his time with Team USA at the Olympics.<\/p>\n

The Team\u2019s DNA Mirrors Haliburton\u2019s Fire<\/h3>\n

Indiana\u2019s ball movement, swagger, and poise in the clutch all stem from Haliburton. Teammate Myles Turner<\/a> put it simply: \u201cUltimate self-confidence.\u201d In the Eastern Conference Finals, Haliburton isn\u2019t just playing\u2014he\u2019s leading.<\/p>\n

Haliburton has hit 12 of 14 clutch shots heading into game 2 this season in the final two minutes. That\u2019s an incredible 86%, the best mark since 1996-97. Yet this same player faced deep mental and emotional hurdles earlier in the year. The same drive that fuels him also weighs him down.<\/p>\n

Team USA\u2019s Benching Tyrese Haliburton Changed Everything<\/h3>\n
\"Tyrese
Aug 5, 2024; Paris, FRANCE; United States guard Anthony Edwards (L) and guard Tyrese Haliburton pose for a photograph during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Team USA House. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last summer, Haliburton joined Team USA. It should\u2019ve been a career highlight. Instead, it barely registered. He logged just 26 minutes. He sat out both the semifinal and final. For someone used to starring, this was humbling.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an ego check,\u201d Haliburton admitted<\/a>. His Team USA experience left him reeling. He joked about it publicly\u2014posting his medal and poking fun at himself. But underneath, he felt embarrassed. The lack of playing time stung. The Team USA stint for Haliburton was supposed to be a leap forward, not a bench-warming episode.<\/p>\n

He went into the season fired up. \u201cI\u2019m going to get back at y\u2019all,\u201d he thought<\/a>. But the reality didn\u2019t match the energy. He had rehabbed a hamstring injury all summer. He skipped his normal offseason workouts. The result? He started slow.<\/p>\n

By the All-Star break, his numbers dipped. He missed the All-Star Game. The impact of Team USA impact\u2014physical and mental\u2014still lingered on Haliburton<\/p>\n

Resetting Off the Court to Regain Control<\/h3>\n

As his peers traveled to San Francisco for All-Star Weekend, Haliburton flew to Playa Del Carmen. He brought a book. Haliburton needed a break from basketball. He also started working with the Pacers\u2019 mental health team.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving all those expectations, I didn\u2019t handle them the right way,\u201d Haliburton said<\/a>. \u201cI had to just be honest with myself.\u201d That honesty sparked change.<\/p>\n

In the final 21 regular season games, he came alive. He averaged 20.6 points and 11 assists while shooting 53%. The Pacers surged to a No. 4 seed, winning 16 games in that stretch. Haliburton had transformed his Team USA humbling into fuel.<\/p>\n

A Bruised Ego Now Drives a Fierce Competitor<\/h3>\n

Haliburton doesn\u2019t run from doubt. He embraces it. Whether it\u2019s fans trash-talking in the Garden or being benched on the world stage, he responds.<\/p>\n

The Team USA benching didn\u2019t break Haliburton\u2014it recalibrated him. He turned embarrassment into fire. Haliburton found help. He came back stronger.<\/p>\n

And now, in the heart of the playoffs, he\u2019s showing why he never needed Team USA to define him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tyrese Haliburton pulled off one of his signature step-back jumpers. He had the space. He had the timing. The shot fell, electrifying the crowd and lighting up Madison Square Garden. Haliburton turned to Pacers legend Reggie Miller, mimicking Miller\u2019s infamous \u201cchoke\u201d gesture. For a moment, it felt like a perfect ending. But the replay told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":141262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,11,3],"tags":[49184,637,2081,2607],"class_list":["post-141189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-pacers","category-news","tag-2024-olympics","tag-myles-turner","tag-team-usa","tag-tyrese-haliburton"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141189"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":141263,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141189\/revisions\/141263"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}