Carlisle: New stat should be named after Haliburton
Tyrese Haliburton stole the show in the Indiana Pacers' 130-121 Game 4 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
The 25-year-old posted a triple-double of 32 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds to give Indiana a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
He became the first player in playoff history to put up at least 30 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds without committing a turnover since turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78, according to ESPN.
Haliburton's exploits drew high praise from head coach Rick Carlisle.
"It's pretty remarkable, but this has become his thing," Carlisle said, per ESPN's Jamal Collier. "There will be a new statistical category, perhaps, named after him somewhere down the line.
"Him and Chris Paul, these guys - there aren't a lot of guys. I know (John) Stockton didn't turn it over much back when he played, LeBron James didn't turn it over very much. You can go right down the line, some of the all-time greats. And so I know he takes great pride in it and that's a motivating factor."
Haliburton was the game's leading scorer, and he helped his teammates contribute. The Pacers scored 33 points on 63.6% shooting off the All-Star guard's passes. Pascal Siakam posted 30 points, and Bennedict Mathurin added 20 off the bench.
"I was just trying to be aggressive," Haliburton said. "Just trying to play my best. I felt like I let the team down in Game 3. I could have been so much better. I felt like I responded the right way today."
Indiana lost Game 3 after squandering a 20-point advantage, and Haliburton scored 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting. He was proud of how the Pacers responded in Game 4 following the disheartening defeat a few days prior.
"I just want to be able to prove that I can respond when my back's against the wall, when our team's back is against the wall," Haliburton said. "This is a big win for us because if we go back down there 2-2, it's a little different momentum-wise."
The Pacers will look to close out the Knicks on Thursday and reach their first NBA Finals since 2000.