Rick Carlisle came up with the idea of Ty Halliburton, emulating Reggie Miller’s iconic “Chalk Celebration.”
The Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks in perhaps the most thrilling game of the playoffs to date.
Despite their 17-point lead, the Knicks were unable to clean up the Pacer. This opened the door for Aaron Nesmith to explode in the fourth quarter 20 points.
One of the game’s biggest moments came when Tyle Seha Riverton made an incredible clutch shot to tie the game together (carelessly) and send it into overtime.
Halliburton celebrated with Reggie Miller’s iconic chalk celebration. But how did his head coach feel about it?
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After the game, Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle addressed Tyrees Halliburton, emulating Reggie Miller against the Knicks.
Carlisle, who coached both stars during his two separate tenures as the Pacers head coach, noted that Halliburton has no issues or even strong feelings about blowing away the iconic celebration.
“Players can do what they want to do. It’s emotional. It’s not a big deal. We have to go out there. It’s not more eloquent than tonight. It was crazy.”
“The environment will never disappoint you. During this time you want to enter the most hostile and difficult environment and test your temperament.
“This is a difficult time this year. That’s not a big deal. Tyree has earned the right to do whatever he wants.”
Read more: Tyrese Halliburton is working on his father’s potential return to the Indiana Pacers’ NBA playoff game.
Coach Carlisle also spoke about how his player made his comeback despite his downs. He praised the players as NBA stars, but admitted that the Pacers only got better with the comebacks they each perform.
“NBA players are great. These guys get on the roll and do amazing things…it’s the muscles. The more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes.”
The Indiana Pacers have made it a habit to come from below for the past few years. They did so by not only winning several playoff series despite being a lower seed in the last two seasons, but also pulling off some in-game comebacks.
The Pacers are stepping into the Knicks heading into the series. Given their recent history, this won’t work for the Knicks in the rest of the game.