SUMMARY
- Tyrese Haliburton credits the Milwaukee Bucks' control of pace and switching for their Game 5 victory.
- Haliburton wants to focus his thoughts on the Pacers and not the potential return of Giannis Antetokounmpo or Damian Lillard.
After losing Game 5 to the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton had quite a lot to say in the following postgame interview. Despite not having Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on the court, the Bucks managed to keep their postseason aspirations alive and now trail 3-2 to the Indiana Pacers.
Given that the Pacers had a 3-1 lead in this series, many NBA experts believe that they will emerge victorious even though they ended up losing Game 5. After the game had concluded, the Pacers’ franchise star was interviewed and asked about his thoughts following this loss and the team’s mindset heading into Game 5. That said, a closer look at the current situation is required.
Tyrese Haliburton credits the Bucks’ desperate play in Game 5
When a team is on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs, they tend to play harder and with a sense of desperation to stay in contention. The Milwaukee Bucks managed to do just that in Game 5 and won with a final score of 115-92. However, Tyrese Haliburton remained unfazed while still giving credit to the team for their success.
“Yeah, they did something a little different, switched the matchups and stuff. But we just got stagnant, stopped making shots, stopped playing our brand of basketball. We ultimately fell into the way they play, kinda a slower pace than we do and they controlled the pace tonight. I mean hell of a game for a lot of guys on their team so kudos to them for coming out and being ready and uum we gotta be ready for the next game…”
Since the Pacers are a younger and faster team when compared to the Bucks, opportunities to score in transition are pivotal to their success in this series. However, the Bucks managed to control the pace and tempo of this game and forced matchups that were unfavorable to the Pacers.
Considering that both Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo did not play in this game, Haliburton was also questioned about the Indiana Pacers’ current mindset. After all, it would be easy to underestimate a team without two of its best players.
Haliburton is not concerned with the return of Giannis Antetokounmpo or Damian Lillard
There is no denying that having Dame or Giannis on the court would change the look of this Bucks’ roster quite drastically. Since Haliburton had no inside information on their expected return and status, he chose to remain focused on the Pacers and their goals as opposed to what their opposition’s lineup could look like for Game 6.
“Yeah I think we’re going to see some different looks over the course of this its like the 10th time we’ve played them. Obviously, they got like 2 guys, 2 of their main guys not playing right now. Who knows what their status will be in the next game? But we just gotta be prepared for whatever. I think the focus is more on us and being who we are and we just didn’t do that today and we gotta be better in Game 6.”