Halliburton, severely underestimated

This season, the NBA playoffs are in full swing, and the situation between the east and west is gradually becoming clear. In the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder played strong and was not ruthless in the face of the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves were powerless in the first two games and now they took a 2-1 lead. The Timberwolves were aggressive when they eliminated the Lakers and Warriors, but in the Western Conference Finals, the stars Edwards G1 and G2 were inaccurate in three-pointers, and it was difficult to get the referee's whistle through breakthroughs. The role players' performance was unstable, and they could not withstand the Thunder's tough defense on the defensive end. They lost all the game once they were beaten to counterattack. The battle situation in the east is also fierce, and the Pacers performed amazingly, winning games at home in the Knicks one after another, and the probability of advancing to the finals has risen sharply, now exceeding 75%. Pacers coach Carlisle boldly launched a 10-man rotation, and the players were full of energy, keeping high-intensity running from the beginning of the game until the final whistle sounded. In contrast, the Knicks, the main players are exhausted and their substitutes are difficult to support and are in trouble.

Judging from the current situation, the Thunder and the Pacers are very likely to join the finals. The rise of young players seems to break the pattern of the domination of older generation stars such as James, Curry, and Durant.

Reviewing the performance of each team, the role of the team's core is crucial. Like the Suns, they have three giants Booker, Durant and Bill. They are strong on paper, but Bill is in poor condition and is basically in a state of recovering from injuries and getting paid. The remaining two are hard to support and fail to even make the playoffs. The Clippers are also facing an embarrassing situation. Harden can maintain a certain level in the regular season, but in the playoffs, it is not realistic to expect him to turn the tide. Leonard is constantly injured. Even if he retains the dual-core lineup, the hope of winning the championship is becoming increasingly slim.

Just when many teams were worried about the core issues, Halliburton reversed the reputation and played the way the top point guard should be. His data is not outstanding at first glance, averaging 18.3 points and 9.6 assists per game, but with such data, he led the Pacers all the way through the hurdles and into the Eastern Conference Finals. I remember that a few seasons ago, he was still neglected with the Kings. The Kings management chose the latter between him and Fox and traded him to the Pacers in exchange for Sabonis Jr. At that time, the US media's evaluation of this deal was that the king got an A and the Pacers got a C, but now it seems that the Pacers have found a treasure.

Since joining the Pacers, Halliburton's strength has steadily improved, and he averaged nearly 20 points and 10 assists per game every year. He led the team to the Eastern Conference Final last season and made another breakthrough this season. Both the regular season and the playoffs, the team's offensive efficiency is excellent, ranking first in the league with 115.4 points and 118.9 points per game, respectively.

Hariburton also has strong key ball ability. In the first round against the Bucks, the team was once 20 points behind. He turned the tide and scored 2+1 in the last 17 seconds, then completed the final kill with Antetokounmpo. In the second round, facing the Cavaliers' G2, he was also 20 points behind. In the last 20 seconds of the game, he deliberately lost the second free throw, grabbed the rebound and took a quick move, hit a three-pointer to complete the final kill. G1 in the Eastern Conference Finals was even more thrilling. The team was 17 points behind in the final quarter. He led his teammates to shoot 3 points wildly, defeating the Knicks in one fell swoop, scoring 31 points and 11 assists in the game, impressing everyone.

In my opinion, Halliburton is seriously underestimated, and his playing style seems out of place in today's era of data supremacy. Nowadays, fans and media often pay attention to players who average 30+ points and have a high three-point shooting percentage, but Halliburton does not pursue these superficial data. He averaged 18 points and 9 assists per game, which seemed to be just the ordinary All-Star stats, but he always played a key role in tough battles.

Looking at his key ball data, it is simply amazing - in the last 30 years, he scored 5 shots in the last 90 seconds of the game, just like James, with 6 shots and 5 shots; in the last 2 minutes of this season's game, he made 11 of 12 shots and shot a shooting percentage of 91.7%! He is like a low-key killer, and the data cannot fully demonstrate his value, but at the critical moment of the game, he is definitely the most trustworthy person on the team.

From the perspective of the team's tactical system, Pacers coach Carlisle relies very much on him and regards him as the core of the team's offense. The playoff 10-man rotation seems exaggerated, but it is actually to ensure Halliburton always maintains full physical fitness during the game. On the offensive end, the team's tactics revolve around him. When his teammates feel good, he transforms into a top passer and constantly creates scoring opportunities for his teammates; once his teammates' offense is blocked, he can quickly switch to the scoring mode and tear open the opponent's defense with his outstanding personal ability. This comprehensive ability that can be organized and scored is very rare in the entire league, and is different from the ball-held cores such as Doncic and Harden.

When the Kings traded him out for Sabonis Jr., the US media directly gave the Pacers a C-rated score. Now it seems that this C may have to be changed to "China-level" to describe how unreliable this score is. The media and fans often pay more attention to players with strong scoring and strong play style. It is difficult for players like Halliburton to play steadily and lead the team forward silently. Moreover, Halliburton has a low-key personality and will not say any bold words in the post-match interview, which also leads to his low presence.

Hariburton is fully qualified to compete for the playoff MVP in terms of his performance this season. The trend of the Eastern Conference Finals has gradually become clear. Even if the Pacers lost to the Thunder in the finals, Halliburton has proved himself with his strength. At the age of 25, he led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals twice and never fell into the chain at a critical moment.. If such a player is still underestimated, it can only be said that the NBA's judgment criteria are really elusive.