Cyclones in the NBA: Round Two Recap

After a full regular season and two rounds of playoff action, just four teams remain. One of the four, the Indiana Pacers, continues to be led by Iowa State legend and two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton: the last standing Cyclone.

Tyrese has helped guide the four-seeded Pacers to their second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, as Indiana has defeated both (5) Milwaukee and (1) Cleveland to make it back to the doorstep of the NBA Finals.

After taking care of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in five games in round one, Tyrese and the Pacers followed it up by dethroning the NBA's best record and the East's number one overall seed, Cleveland. Indiana again dispatched of its opponent in five games to bring itself closer to the crown and set up a date with the (3) New York.

The Pacers and Knicks will meet for the second-straight year in the playoffs, with Indiana having eliminated New York in last season's Eastern Conference semifinals. The Pacers have now reached the conference finals in consecutive years for the first time since 2013-14.

Tyrese Haliburton vs. Cleveland
Game 1 – IND 121, CLE 112 (IND leads, 1-0)
Trailing by one with seven minutes remaining, Haliburton helped ignite a 20-10 Indiana run down the stretch to help the Pacers leave Cleveland with a 1-0 series lead. Down the stretch, Tyrese had seven points as well as three assists (helping account for eight more points) and chipped in two blocks as Indiana closed strong. Haliburton finished with 22 points and a game-high in both assists (13) and blocks (3).

Game 2 – IND 120, CLE 119 (IND leads, 2-0)
Indiana overcame a 48-point outing from Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell in game two with Tyrese playing the hero as he drained a step-back three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to cap off an 8-0 run in the game's final 48 seconds to steal a game two win. Haliburton, who'd already notched a playoff game winner against the Bucks in round one, again showed why he's a star as he crushed Cleveland fans' hopes as Indiana took a 2-0 lead back to its home court. Haliburton finished game two with 19 points and four assists.

Game 3 – CLE 126, IND 104 (IND leads, 2-1)
Cleveland got revenge in game three, thrashing the Pacers in Indiana to pull within one game of the series. Cleveland, who led by as many as 26, was led again by Mitchell, who poured in another 40-plus point outing to help his Cavaliers inch closer to evening the series. Tyrese was held to just four points, his lowest point total since Feb. 4.

Game 4 – IND 129, CLE 109 (IND leads, 3-1)
The Pacers took game three's beatdown personally and responded with a blowout win of their own. Indiana raced out to a 41-point halftime lead over the Cavs and was able to coast to victory from there. An early ejection of Bennedict Mathurin proved to be a spark for Indiana as the team rallied behind the energy and took a commanding 3-1 series lead. Tyrese would finish with 11 points and five assists.

Game 5 – IND 114, CLE 105 (IND wins series, 4-1)
After back-to-back outings where Cleveland was able to limit Haliburton offensively, the two-time All-Star broke through in game five as he erupted for 31 points to help clinch the series for Indiana. Cleveland took an early 19-point first-half lead, but steadiness and resiliency from Indiana helped the Pacers chip away and eventually overtake the Cavs in the third before not looking back. Indiana took three road games in the series as Tyrese continues to prove to the Association that he is not the "Most Overrated Player."

Haliburton's Round Two: 17.4 PPG, 7.0 APG, 4.6 RPG
Haliburton's Playoffs: 17.5 PPG, 9.3 APG, 5.5 RPG
Conference Finals Schedule:
Game 1: Pacers vs. Knicks (Wed. May 21, 7 CT, TNT)
Game 2: Pacers vs. Knicks (Fri. May 23, 7 CT, TNT)
Game 3: Knicks vs. Pacers (Sun. May 25, 7 CT, TNT)
Game 4: Knicks vs. Pacers (Tue. May 27, 7 CT, TNT)
Game 5: Pacers vs. Knicks (Thu. May 29, 7 CT, TNT)*
Game 6: Knicks vs. Pacers (Sat. May 31, 7 CT, TNT)*
Game 7: Pacers vs. Knicks (Mon. June 2, 7 CT, TNT)*
*if necessary

Iowa State University Athletics

Related Videos

Sponsors