Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton silenced the crowd on Tuesday after a game-winning 3-pointer to give them the 2-0 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Haliburton’s heroics during the final seconds were the fruit of their hard work to make a comeback. Throughout the game, the Pacers were behind and were down as much as 20 points.
However, Haliburton and the Pacers never gave up and chased after the lead. In the final moments of the game, Indiana was within two points. The All-Star guard secured the ball and took matters into his own hands with a step-back 3-pointer to give the team the 120-119 win.
During the game, the Cavs fans heckled Haliburton. The crowd started a chant, calling the guard “overrated.” This was about the anonymous poll by The Athletic, where the Pacers star received the most votes as the most overrated player in the NBA.
After the win, however, former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal defended Haliburton. According to O’Neal, he doesn’t think the two-time All-Star is overrated and had praise.
“First of all, Tyrese Haliburton is not an overrated player,” O’Neal said. “He’s a great player, he plays the right way. And all the kids out there — the one’s that can’t jump high and don’t have the Steph Curry form, watch him and steal all that he does.
"First of all, Tyrese Haliburton is NOT an overrated player." 🗣️
Shaq had praise for Hali after he led the Pacers to a 2-0 series lead pic.twitter.com/Y8U6rqdZQb
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 7, 2025
Haliburton had 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists. He shot 100 percent from deep, including his game-winning 3-pointer. For Game 3, the Pacers will try to protect their home court, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and have a 3-0 series advantage.
The Indiana Pacers star reacts to the “overrated” chants
Since being labeled as overrated, Haliburton has been on a tear for the Indiana Pacers. The All-Star guard led the team past the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening round. Now, he’s proven that he’s a star in the league with his recent game-winner.
After the game, Indiana’s franchise star talked about the “overrated” chants from the Cleveland crowd. According to him, he didn’t expect the chant.
“That one was unexpected, I didn’t know we had beef,” Haliburton said. “Good for them. That came out of nowhere. I think, now that that label’s there, they’re [always going to be there] everytime… For me, I just control what I can and… overrate that.”
“OVERRATE THAT!”
Tyrese Haliburton after his game-winning three in Game 2 after the Cleveland crowd changed “overrated!” 🗣️
Thoughts? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/gewzyFVDOp
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) May 7, 2025
In the first round against the Bucks, Haliburton averaged 17.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 11.6 assists. While he had a slow start in the second round, he’s gradually asserting himself as one of the series’ main star players.
The Indiana Pacers will host Game 3 on Friday.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
