Tyrese Haliburton: Pacers 'Shocking the World' By Making In-Season Tournament Final

The Indiana Pacers have been the biggest surprise of the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament, and Tyrese Haliburton knows the team has put the basketball world on notice.

"I think we're shocking the world right now," Haliburton said after clinching a berth in the tournament title game following a 128-119 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, per The Athletic's Sam Amick. "Nobody expected us to be here except for the guys in the locker room. That means a lot to us, so it feels good."

The Pacers have been unbeatable from the moment the tournament tipped off last month.

Indiana opened the group stage with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and also secured wins over the Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons to win Eastern Conference Group A.

The Pacers then went on to defeat the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals before eliminating the Bucks in the semifinals in what was considered only their latest upset.

Haliburton, in particular, is reaching superstar-level heights as the Pacers reignite their fan base in the process.

"We are witnessing a superstar in the making," Pacers legend Reggie Miller said of Haliburton. "Tyrese Haliburton is putting the world on notice."

In Indiana's win over Boston, the 23-year-old notched 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, securing his first career triple-double. He followed that up with 27 points, seven rebounds and 15 assists against Milwaukee.

"When you talk about controlling the game, being super smart out there, IQ, he has it all," Pacers guard Bruce Brown added of his teammate. "I mean, what, he had 15 assists tonight with no turnovers? That doesn't happen. I've only seen that with Nikola [Jokic]. In a few more years …"

Haliburton is averaging 26.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 12.1 assists through 18 games this season while shooting 52.5 percent from the floor and 44.1 percent from beyond the arc.

In part thanks to Haliburton, the Pacers are sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 12-8 record and look primed to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.

Indiana is set for an in-season tournament final matchup against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night in Las Vegas. If they hope to claim the title before returning to regular season action, Haliburton is going to have to have to put the team on his back one more time.