Tyreese Halliburton and Jason Tatum set two different examples of how to deal with adversity and rudeness.
Tyrees Halliburton and the Indiana Pacers are on their way to the NBA Finals. The All-Star Guard posted a 21-point double double to help Pacer win Game 6 and eliminate the New York Knicks.
Halliburton has proven himself a true NBA superstar despite things like Stephen A. Smith and other NBA players.
The young point guard took a team that no one expected to have a major impact on the NBA Finals.
However, this trip for Halliburton began last summer, when he was a teammate of the Olympic team along with the players who protected him from the NBA Finals.
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Tyreese Halliburton and Jason Tatum have gone from rivals in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals to team USA teammates at the Parisio Games.
However, both players were rarely featured as Steve Kerr chose other stars. Halliburton played 26 minutes in three games, while Jason Tatum played 71 minutes in five games.
Given that he had a championship victory, there was a lot of turmoil over the use of Jason Tatum. However, the same could not be said about Halliburton.
Jayson Tatum and many of the NBA media have often denounced the superstar’s treatment at Team USA. Halliburton rarely mentioned it.
In fact, Tatum has come towards this season to prove that the suspect is wrong and show that he can become the face of the NBA, an Olympic snub-inspired goal.
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To prove the suspects wrong, Jason Tatum played stronger and more energetically throughout the NBA season. But this would cost him a great deal.
Tatum pushed himself beyond his limits, getting injured once during the regular season, ripping Achilles in the playoffs, costing almost a year of his career.
As for Halliburton, he had the opportunity at the Olympics to see what it was. With the season in progress, Halliburton struggled. But he bowed, worked hard, and turned things around.
Now, he had no interest in external stories, so Halliburton was able to reach the NBA Finals. Tatum may have impacted his long-term future in the NBA by trying to prove people wrong.