Ever since Tyrese Haliburton got traded to the Pacers three years ago, Rick Carlisle has become one of his biggest advocates. Even when the point guard was voted the “most overrated player” by his NBA peers via an anonymous poll, the head coach unapologetically defended the superstar, “The whole thing’s b——-, okay? It’s really a shameful thing. Just a shameful thing.” Tyrese also has the utmost respect for Carlisle. Maybe that’s what makes them the perfect player-coach duo. But their relationship was not always sunshine and rainbows!
Turns out, there was a time when Hali absolutely despised his current head coach. During a recent interview ahead of the upcoming series against OKC, the Pacers star made the shocking confession after he was asked about the first NBA Finals he remembers watching. “That’s a great question. That I truthfully remember? 2011 Heat-Mavs. That’s the first one I can say I really sat down and truthfully remember. And I hated Rick for that.”
Well, Carlisle was the head coach of the historic 2011 Mavs team that won the franchise’s maiden championship. And Tyrese hated him because they shocked everyone by beating a LeBron James-led Miami Heat squad in the Finals despite being the heavy underdogs. Of course, LeBron was one of the superstars Haliburton looked up to as a kid. “LeBron and CP were like my main guys,” he said in an interview.
During that same playoff run, the Mavs also swept a Kobe Bryant-led Lakers squad in the second round. That’s another one of Haliburton’s idols, as he usually wears Kobe sneakers, and even admitted, “I’m a Kobe guy through and through.” So, he hated Rick for eliminating two of his favorite players. “I definitely couldn’t stand Rick and the Mavs in that time,” he confessed. Of course, Haliburton was just a kid at the time, and his hate for Carlisle has dissipated.
And he is happy to be playing under his leadership, “The fact that I’m here with him is pretty full circle. So, it’s exciting… To be able to create runs of our own, it’s been a lot of fun.” Moreover, Carlisle’s experience of winning the title as an underdog could be a major factor for the Pacers in the upcoming series.
Tyrese Haliburton reveals similarity between Pacers and 2011 Mavs
Following his confession of hating Carlisle as a kid, Tyrese Haliburton also revealed that he often asks the head coach questions about the Mavs championship run. When asked how that can be helpful against OKC, he said, “I think the biggest thing is they went into that situation similar to how we went into a lot of our playoff runs, just being the underdog. Knowing that a lot of people weren’t picking them and just kind of going into it with, I don’t know a better way to put it, kind of with like a ‘F— it’ mentality.”
Yes, although the Mavs were the third seed that year, no one picked them to win the title. Obviously, Heat were the heavy favorites, led by LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. But Dirk Nowitzki and Co. pulled off one of the biggest Finals upset to beat the super team in six games. Now, Pacers need to have the same mentality going against the 68-win Thunder, who are favorites to win the chip.
Haliburton continued, “As long as guys in our locker room, the people in this building believe, then anything is possible. So, we’re really excited about the challenge. It’s a really good team in front of us and no ‘expert or analyst’ is gonna pick us and that’s okay. We like it better that way and its gonna be a lot of fun.”
Well, the Pacers have already proved the critics wrong by knocking out the higher-seeded Knicks and Cavs. All they need to cap off this historic season is four more wins to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy. And Carlisle’s experience will surely play a role in making that happen. Do you agree?
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