Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton had a message for Cleveland Cavaliers fans after he hit the winning shot in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals playoff series between the two teams on Tuesday night.
The Pacers took a 2-0 series lead after they beat the Cavs 120-119 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers had a 119-116 lead when Haliburton drew a foul with 12.1 seconds left. Haliburton made the first free throw and missed the second, but he got his own rebound.
Haliburton then hit a step-back three-pointer to win the game for Indiana. You can see the video here.
Earlier in the night, Cavs fans had loudly chanted “overrated” at Haliburton when he was at the free throw line. That was an obvious reference to Haliburton being voted the most overrated player in the NBA earlier this season in a poll of his fellow players.
Haliburton was asked about those chants after the game. He said he is sure he is going to hear plenty more like them on the road and ended his response with “overrate that.”
“Sure, yeah. That one was unexpected. I didn’t know we had beef, but good for them,” Haliburton said of Cavs fans. “That came out of nowhere, but I think just now that that label’s there that’s what it’s gonna be every time we play somebody. Every time on the road it’ll probably follow me until the next poll comes out and we’ll see if I’m No. 1 again. But, for me, I just control what I can and, yeah, overrate that.”
“Overrate that” 🗣️
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 7, 2025
Hali had a message for Cavs fans chanting “overrated” at him 👀 pic.twitter.com/AyN3Fx5nhK
Haliburton is a two-time All-Star, and many Pacers figures were annoyed by him being named the most overrated player in the league. Even Donovan Mitchell tried to stop Cavaliers fans from antagonizing Haliburton on Tuesday night.
In the end, Haliburton did not look the least bit overrated. He is the reason the Pacers have a comfortable 2-0 lead rather than the series being tied.
