We may look back on Monday—the night of the first two knockout games of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament—as a flash in the pan. Maybe a decade from now the regular season is 60 games long and in-season tournament gear is a collector’s item on eBay. On Monday though, during the knockout quarterfinal between the Pacers and Celtics, a thrilling, high-octane and high-scoring affair, the in-season tournament felt like one of the greatest ideas in recent sports history.
And it was almost entirely because of Tyrese Haliburton.
The Pacers’ All-Star guard was sublime in his first taste of postseason-esque basketball, recording his first career triple double with 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. He spearheaded a raucous second-half comeback, as Indy picked up the pace and outgunned the Celtics by 17 over the final 24 minutes for a 122–112 win.
