"Hali fkn hooping" - LeBron James shouts out Tyrese Haliburton for igniting Pacers' stunning turnaround vs Cavaliers

LeBron James may be a proud Cleveland native, but that did not stop him from showing love to Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton for his Game 5 heroics in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday. Haliburton helped Indiana erase a 19-point deficit en route to a series-clinching 114-105 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Pacers fell behind by 19 early in the second quarter, but Haliburton sparked the comeback, scoring 15 points in the period to cut Cleveland’s lead to just six at the break, 62-56.

James praised Haliburton as someone "everyone" would want on their team and hit out at those who labeled the Pacers guard the league’s most “overrated” player in a poll by The Athletic.

“Hali fkn hooping!!!! Where the lames who said he was overrated??!! Quiet as hell,” James wrote. “That boy NICE and even more someone everyone would love to play with!”

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

Expand Tweet

Haliburton ended the night with 31 points, eight assists and six steals, posting a game-best plus-27 rating.

Tyrese Haliburton leads Pacers to second straight East finals

With the win, Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they’ll face the winner of the Knicks-Celtics series. The Knicks hold a 3-1 lead, and the Celtics suffered a major blow after Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles in Game 4.

Haliburton shot lights out in Game 5 against the Cavs, going 10-of-15 and hitting 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. He got solid backing from Pascal Siakam (21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks) and Andrew Nembhard (18 points, six assists).

Aaron Nesmith chipped in with a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds), while Myles Turner added 18 points and six assists, making key plays on both ends late in the game.

For the Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points with nine rebounds and four steals, but struggled on 8-of-25 shooting. Evan Mobley added 24 points and 11 boards, while Darius Garland managed only 11 points on 16 shots. De’Andre Hunter came off the bench with 12.

The Pacers shot an even 50.0% from the field and went 15-of-35 from 3, while Cleveland lagged behind at 38.9% overall and hit just 9-of-35 from deep.

About the author

John Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.

He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university's official student publication, for four years—the longest in history.

A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant's departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.

He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson's record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.

Know More

Cleveland Cavaliers Nation! You can check out the latest Cleveland Cavaliers Schedule and dive into the Cavaliers Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.

Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro