Adam Silver was cooking with the In-Season Tournament idea. I know I have been on it from day one but yesterday’s games were two of the most fun, hard-fought games maybe in NBA history prior to the Christmas Day games. If you have been reading Jakestakes from the start, you’ve noticed two constant topics in my writing of the NBA: Tyrese Haliburton and the In-Season Tournament. Both shined their true potential last night for the whole world to see.
This Pacers team have an infectious energy where you can’t help but root for them. Trailing by 7 at halftime, Haliburton came out in the second half and led the Pacers to start on a 28-11 run. Hali in the first 8 minutes of the third quarter had 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. When Haliburton came out, TJ McConnell came in and led the defensive intensity. McConnell is the definition of a guy you hate to play against but love to play with. He is such a pest and I love how he is still playing at such a high-level in the NBA. The Pacers locked in defensively last night and played their best defensive game of the season.
The fourth quarter was insane. The Celtics fought their way back behind the two Js. The last 4 minutes of the game, the Pacers went on a scoring avalanche behind Tyrese and Aaron Nesmith. Nesmith playing against the team that traded him, was playing with a chip on his shoulder. Nesmith scored 11 in the fourth and was physically guarding Tatum on the other end. I didn’t realize how good of a defender Nesmith is, he set the tone all night. He was feeling himself when he hit a layup over Derrick White and hit him with the too small celebration. Tatum matched on the other end and then Tyrese Haliburton cemented his Superstar status with an and-1 three to put the Pacers up by 4 with a minute and a half left.
After Haliburton hit the go ahead shot, Buddy hit a three and Aaron Nesmith threw down a dunk that erupted Indiana. To see the reaction of the bench during that dunk was awesome. The Pacers have one of the lowest pay-rolls in the NBA and their young team is locked in on the bench to do whatever they can to help win that cash prize. It was a tough night for the why would the players or the fans care more about this crowd as it was a true playoff environment both in Indy and Sacramento. I also do not understand NBA fans at all. Hali had his first career triple double in a “must-win” game and the first thing people run to do is diminish this performance because he has never done it in the playoffs even though he is only in his fourth year. So cool to see him celebrate with his teammates and parents. NBA fans really need to just enjoy basketball and be happy for a team like the Pacers to have a shot of doing something special, even with no real NBA championship aspirations.
In the second game, the Kings came out hot hitting 6 threes in the first quarter. However, the Pelicans bench came in and fought back and took a double-digit lead at half time. Trey Murphy scored 13 of his 16 in the first half and provides a different type of toughness to the Pelicans team. Trey Murphy and Herb Jones combined for 39 points. With Murphy, Herb Jones, Naji Marshall, Jose Alvarado and Dyson Daniels, this team is a nightmare to play. As I mentioned in my post yesterday, the difference in this game will be the role players. The wings of New Orleans heavily outplayed the wings in Sacramento. Brandon Ingram played like a true #1 yesterday and the Pelicans took down the Kings in Sacramento.
All in all, the In-Season tournament is here to stay. The playoff environment, the emotion the players are playing with and the overall competitiveness makes the In-Season Tournament a must watch. I am excited to watch the games tonight even though I will be at the Garden to watch an exciting double-header for the Jimmy V Classic. The first game is #11 FAU vs #20 Illinois and the second game my #9 ranked Tar Heels play #5 Uconn. I made sure to get seats in the first row of the 200 sections that have a TV in the front to tune into the Knicks.
JakesTakes 
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