Tyrese Haliburton Wasn't Available for Press Conference After 4 Points in Pacers' Loss
After scoring a playoff career-low four points in the Indiana Pacers' 126-104 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday, Tyrese Haliburton apparently didn't want to speak publicly.
The Athletic's James Boyd noted the Pacers' public relations team did not make Haliburton available to the media following the game, but he will speak at some point on Saturday.
It's not uncommon for players to avoid their postgame media obligation after a loss, particularly in a game they don't play well in. James Harden did it after each of the Los Angeles Clippers' final three losses in their series against the Denver Nuggets.
In the 2023 postseason, Dillon Brooks was fined $25,000 by the NBA for his "failure to participate in team postgame media availability" during the Memphis Grizzlies' first-round series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Players skipping postgame media availability after a rough performance in which your team loses does open them up to more criticism, as if they are trying to avoid any sort of questioning or can't handle it.
Haliburton's case is unique because his reputation among his fellow players doesn't seem particularly high. He was voted the league's most overrated player in a survey of active players conducted by The Athletic's Sam Amick and Josh Robbins.
When things have gone well for the Pacers in this postseason, Haliburton has been front and center to talk about it. He recently posted "overrate THAT" on X after leading Indiana's thrilling Game 5 overtime comeback win against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.
Friday night was the first time all postseason that things didn't go well for Haliburton. Even in the one game the Pacers lost to the Bucks in the first round, he recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists in 32 minutes.
Haliburton was basically a non-factor in Game 3 against Cleveland. His four points came on 2-of-8 shooting, while adding five assists, three turnovers and no rebounds in 30 minutes.
The Pacers still hold a 2-1 series lead over Cleveland and will look to get back on track with a quick turnaround heading into Game 4 on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
