The Indiana Pacers Shouldn’t Be This Good…

The Indiana Pacers Shouldn’t Be This Good…

Picture this. Your team is up by two points with about 5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The Indiana Pacers inbounded to Tyrese Hallebertton and he does some weird crab dribbles and hits the most looking deep three to win the game. This would get you pretty mad, huh? Well, what if I told you you didn’t have to imagine this at all? Neither does the rest of the NBA. The Indiana Pacers have sent a shock wave towards the entire league. They’ve made it pretty clear that they’re not a team to be taken lightly in the foreseeable future. Gone are the days of the Pacers getting knocked out in the first round year after year, or even worse, not even making the playoffs at all. They’re simply built different now. Indiana has completed five playoff serieses in the Tyresese Hallebertton era. The Pacers have won four out of these five. And of these four series wins, do you know how many of them the Pacers had the homecourt advantage on? Only one of them. I think it’s no secret that Indiana has been massively overachieving in the postseason in the Halbertton era. And spoiler alert, they don’t look like they’re going to stop anytime soon. Did you see the anonymous player poll that came out today? I did. What was your reaction to that? And not too worried about that. I know I am. I’m confident in my own skin and not worried about, you know, what what anybody thinks. My teammates trust me. And the other guys on the list were Jimmy Butler and Giannis. This is a poll. Uh yeah, I mean, overrate that. Double pumps a three and hit it. Oh my go. Oh yeah. Diamond diamond pass. What a time pass. What a pass. No little pass. Up and through. Hallebertton throws it down. And he knew that one was going down. Hallebert. Dribble bag. Fall away. Tough shot. Hallebertton. That’s good. He’s able to step back in. Step back three. Hallebert. Now, the Indiana Pacers weren’t always beating your favorite team in the Eastern Conference. This group of postseason killers had to develop. Tyresese Hallebertton was drafted by the Sacramento Kings as the 12th overall pick in the 2020 draft. His rookie year was an overall success, averaging 13 points, five assists, three rebounds, and a little over a steal a game while having shooting splits that some Hall of Famers couldn’t even reach. Tyrese Hallebertton was already looking scary in year one. The potential of one of the league’s best passers was clearly there, but then the Sacramento Kings fumbled the bag next season. We welcome you back with breaking news from the NBA as the trade deadline approaches. The Indiana Pacers continue to make moves trading Deanna Sabonis, Justin Holiday, and Jeremy Lamb to the Sacramento Kings for Tyreek Hallebertton, Buddy Field, and Tristan Thompson. Near the trade deadline of 2022, the Indiana Pacers traded Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, Damont Sabonis, and a draft pick for Tyresese Hallebert, Buddy Heield, and Tristan Thompson. This was a risky move at the time. almost stupid. The Indiana Pacers were giving up their multipletime all-star big man who came off his best season yet, averaging 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. And he was only 25 years old at the time. However, this trade was justified because the fit between Sabonis and Miles Turner was flatout painful to watch, keeping them in a state of mediocrity. It was clear that one of them needed to go. The Sacramento Kings were also dealing with a very similar struggle. The fit between De’aran Fox and Tyresese Hallebertton clearly wasn’t working and one of the two needed to go. The Kings wanted to win now. So, they got an already proven star in Damont Sabonis. While the Pacers, on the other hand, they were taking a gamble on their future, trading away the already star big man for a raw 21-year-old point guard. Indiana was putting all their chips at the table. And boy, did it pay off. [Music] The rest of the 2022 and then the 2023 season for the Pacers was pretty forgettable. Andy failed to make the playoffs either years with back-to-back losing records. However, something that wasn’t forgettable was Tyresese Halleburn during the stretch. In 2023, Halley made his first All-Star appearance while upping his production to 20 and 10 a night while nearly cracking a 50/40 90 season. While the records didn’t quite show it, Indiana was starting to move in the right direction. They were looking [Music] deadly. The 2024 season for Indie marks the switch of an era. They were done being laughed at as the team stuck in mediocrity. And there was no better way to start this off than to make an absolute statement in the NBA’s new inseason tournament. [Music] Red court with the blue runway. Hallebertton for three. It’s perfect. Tyrese Hallebertton in his last five games coming in 20 of 40 from three-point range. Yes, that is 50%. Launching and hitting another three. Acers clinging to a five-point lead. Hallebert tries another three. Tyrese Hollberg from downtown. The Pacers first matchup and pool play was against the Cleveland Cavaliers. And Cleveland didn’t make it easy. Donovan Mitchell dropped a ridiculous 38 points on 61% shooting. But Cleveland was able to weather off the storm with 18 and 13 from Tyresese Hallebertton and 27-9 from Miles Turner. The Pacers won 121 to 116 and are now 1-0 in pool play. Game two of pool play, the Pacers didn’t catch any breaks. They were going up against the reigning league MVP in Joel Embiid and the rest of the redhot 76ers. Embiid gave the Pacers 3912 and six, but it wasn’t quite enough. Halleburn had a ridiculous 33 points, 15 assists, and zero turnovers, while Obie Topphen reigned in a dangerous 27 points and 80% shooting. The Pacers claimed another slim victory and they were 2 and0 in pool play. Game three was the game to watch if you like offense. Yes, you’re reading this right. Both of these teams combined for over 300 points this game. Trey Young did all that he could to save the Hawks, putting up 38 and8 while shooting 76% from the field, but Hallebertton, he’s been loving this in season tournament. Clearly, he put up a ludicrous 376 assists and three steals and 61% shooting. Indie was now 3-0 in pool play. In their final pool play game, the Pacers caught a break playing against the Detroit Pistons where they cruised to a pretty easy win. With all these four wins the Pacers got, they clinched the two seed in the tournament only behind Milwaukee and they were looking to put themselves on the map. The Pacers first matchup would really test to see what this team was made of because in round one it was against none other than the Boston Celtics who were clearly the best team in the league so far. The Celtics asserted their dominance by taking a seven-point lead at half. However, the Pacers didn’t give a damn how good the Celtics record was. They struck back in the second half and took this game 122 to 112. The league was officially on notice of the Indiana Pacers being the best team in basketball by double digits in a competitive tournament. They were no joke, but their next battle was going to be another test for this unit. They were going up against Giannis, Dame, and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pacers took a commanding 12-point lead in the first half. However, the Bucks followed it up with a monster 43-point third quarter to take the lead. The game was close for the entirety of the fourth quarter until Tyresese Hallebertton put the dagger in Milwaukee. Under a minute remaining, Pacers clinging to a five-point lead. Hallebertton tries another three. Bang. Tyrese Hallebertton from downtown Bucks. It’s an eight-point lead. Tyrese Hallebertton hit this clutch three and taunted Milwaukee by doing the game time celebration. It was the ultimate disrespect, but the Pacers were moving on to the tournament final. The Pacers run had finally came to an end. You can beat Tatum. You can beat Giannis. You can even taunt Damen Lillard, but just remember who still has your number. Indiana clear to the basket, lays it up and in. It’s incredible because if he gets below the free throw line, there’s savvy, their skill, their strength, there’s just so much experience. 10 move inside. Bank shot is good. Rebound back up and off. 3 seconds left. Cleveland triggers it. James 2 seconds. 1 second for the win. LeBron James delivers gets it in. James on the floor. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Li Indiana had to humble the Pacers and give them an ass whooping in the tournament final. Despite the Pacers not walking away with the trophy, this was only steps in the right direction and green flags for the squad. Lessons learned that they would apply to the actual thing. [Music] Fast forward about five months into the future and it’s time for the actual NBA postseason. The Pacers were now even better, getting Pascal Seakum in a trade with the Raptors. Was the inseason tournament a preview for what we’re going to see in the postseason? Or was the inseason tournament meaningless? Well, one thing’s for certain though. When Tyresese Hallebertton sees dark green, his killer instinct lights up like a shark in bloody water. And he’s going to step back and shoot a three and hit it. Hallebertton to the basket and dunks it. Toppin on the break. Got it to fall. Six seconds to go. Crosses over on Beverly. Flo game for the win. Tyrese without Giannis and Tedakmpo, it was up to Dame to lead the Bucks to the second round, but the Pacers already bought the Bucks flight tickets to Cancun in May. Despite Damen Lillard lighting up the Pacers in game one, Indiana took control of the series from there, winning three straight games to make the series 3 to one. The Bucks won a pity game five at home, but then the Pacers ended it at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana. The Pacers took this series four to two and it was time to make some noise in the Big Apple as we get set for game four. He’ll hoist that rainbow from the left edge. Indiana in front five to two. Pick it up right where he left off. Nice it to Hallebertton. Another wide open [Music] three-pointer. He is down the range and stolen by McConnell. Saw it coming. Beautiful feed ahead to Hallebertton. [Music] New York wasn’t going to be as easy as Milwaukee, though. The Pacers dropped two close games to the Knicks at first. Hellburn looked stale to open up the second round, while Jaylen Brunson, he was playing like a 6-2 Michael Jordan. Indiana made it a series, though. They came back with their own two wins at home to tie it up. Tyresese Hallebertton was looking like his old self again, while Jaylen Brunson’s magic wore off as soon as he entered Indiana. Back at New York though in game five, Jaylen Brunson erupted for a monstrous 44-point game to clinch the Knicks a 30-point win and take a lead in the series 3-2. The Pacers backs were against the wall and they had to respond. The Pacers secured a game six win at home 116 to 103. Pascal Seakum dropped 25 and seven to keep India afloat. In game seven, the Knicks attempted to put a roster together with all their injuries. The Pacers took advantage of this and shocked everyone in the Big Apple, winning by 21 points in a hostile game seven, proving that this team was built for the postseason. However, India’s greatest challenge was still awaiting [Music] them. Step back, puts up another three. Back in the offensive rebound. Now the Patriots have the foul. Brown has it. Final seconds. That’s it. It’s over. The Celtics are heading back to the NBA Finals and another crushing finish for these Indiana Pacers. Just like the inseason tournament, the Pacers Cinderella Magic had to stop at some point. The Boston Celtics were on a mission in 2024. And there was no one on the Pacers that was getting in the way of the Celtics championship. Boston swept Indiana in a forgettable four-game series. Despite the Pacers not winning at all, the steps they had taken as a group this year were paramount and it was really unexpected by most. But it wasn’t quite over for the Pacers. They’d be back [Music] here. And just like that, we’re back. It’s 2025 and the Pacers, for the first time since the Paul George days in Indiana, locked down a 50- win regular season where they had homecourt advantage in the first round. And who better to start it off against than Indiana’s old foe. It was time for Halburn to cook up some deer meat once again. And ahead now to Siak and the dunk ali and throws it down. Alber was learning his faith. And he has something to say to him, too. Another Milwaukee turnover. Lay in by Matarin against Yiannis. Got it. Puts it in. Got it. He put it in. One and three. It’s Pacers versus Bucks for about their 20th matchup in the last two years. But things were different in this postseason. The Greek Freak was finally back playing his first healthy postseason since 2022. Yeah, it’s been pretty bad luck for Giannis, but the Indiana Pacers didn’t give a damn because they give the Bucks backto back ass whoopings in games one and two at home. Giannis was looking unstoppable, putting up shack-like numbers, but it didn’t matter because the Bucks can stop the Pacers on defense to save their lives. Milwaukee then took a game- win at home where Giannis and Gary Trent combined for a whopping 74 points. It was crazy. But the Pacers reminded the Bucks whose daddy in game four, taking a commanding 129 to 103 win at the Fiser Forum to give Indie a 3 to1 series lead. However, the Bucks weren’t going down without a fight in game five. This game was neck andneck for pretty much the entire time. Neither team was taking a lead at the end. With seconds left of this do or go home game for Milwaukee, Giannis had a chance to ice the game. Turner on Giannis. Janis backing in spinning jumper doesn’t go brick. We’re going into overtime. Milwaukee was lighting up the Gamebridge fieldhouse in OT. The Bucks found themselves with a 118 1111 lead with 40 seconds to go. The Bucks odds to win this game were at 97%. But like the theme of this video, the Pacers didn’t give a with about 35 seconds. Andrew Nemhard pulls up from Steph Curry range with 18 seconds still left on the shot clock lead with a three. Good, but it’s butter. The Bucks inbound the ball and it gets immediately stolen. He showed up. Then Tyresese Hallebertton with 20 seconds left gets a three-pointer the oldfashioned way. in the building. Hallelbertton attacking and the foul. The Bucks inbounded again and were immediately reminded why Gary Trent never played football. [Applause] To Green Trent with it and he loses it on a brilliant night. Now there’s 10 seconds left and the Pacers by God’s glory somehow found a way to potentially win this game. With the time winding down, Hallebertton had something cooking on the menu and it happened to be buck fillet. 5 seconds 4 seconds for the lead. Here’s Gary Trent Jr. And the Pacers are moving on. And just like that, the Pacers stole this game and probably ended Giannis’ time in Milwaukee. However, the Pacers weren’t done breaking hearts yet, though, because they had another juggernaut season to ruin. Scores over Seiak. Seaks a three and hits. Crosscourt to the far sideline. This is Nehart deliver against Milwaukee. Look at that stick back knee smith. Pacers have a timeout. Will they use it? 4 seconds to go. Hallebertton for three. Three ball. You have got to be kidding me. Indiana wasn’t done terrorizing the league yet. They had their eyes set on Cleveland. And in game one, Indiana made a statement to the rest of the league. They grabbed an early 11-point lead in the first quarter and never let it go, winning 121 to 112 on the road. And game two is a very similar story. In game two, the Cavs took a dominant 17-point lead in the first quarter, but the Pacers eventually clawed their way back. The Pacers found themselves down 112 to 119 with 57 seconds left. According to Chad GPT, the odds of the Cavs winning this game were about 99.17%. So, the Pacers had less than a 1% chance of coming back in this game. But Indiana didn’t care about those numbers. Pasco Seakum finds himself at the free throw line where he missed both shots, but Aaron Nesmith got the rebound and put up this insane putback dunk. If Aaron Nesmith wasn’t doing enough, he then took a charge 5 seconds after that dunk, giving the Pacers the ball back. This is all you want in the NBA playoffs. 47 seconds. Contact Mitchell and Smith offensive. Hallebertton then gets blocked on this layup attempt, but the Pacers get the ball back where Pascal Siakum hits this clutch layup. On the wing, Siakum attacks and lays it in. And then the Pacers tap into their dark magic where Andrew Nehard gets a steal on the inbound and Tyrese Hallebertton gets fouled. Hallebertton sizes up Jerome and here he comes to the cup contact and Hallebertton is going to shoot free throws. His first free throw was good and on the second one the Pacers somehow got another rebound. Much better job of getting open misses Hallebert. And oh yeah, remember the intro to the video? Picture this. Your team is up by two points with about 5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The Indiana Pacers inbounded to Tyres Halbert. Maybe some weirdass crap dribbles and it’s the most looking deep to win the game. This would get you pretty mad, huh? That’s exactly what’s happening right here. The Pacers somehow steal another road victory against the best team in the East. And this momentum only carried throughout the series. The Pacers dropped game three at home, but they came back with an absolute smoke show in game four. I mean, it wasn’t even close. This game was over by the second quarter. With all the momentum on their side, the Pacers stole game five in Cleveland 114 to 105. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who won 64 regular season games and were hyped up as an A1 championship contender, dropped like dead flies through a bit of adversity. And just like that, the Pacers found themselves right back in the conference finals again. While the Indiana Pacers haven’t won a championship or inseason tournament yet, their underdog heroics during the Tyresese Hallebertton era have been unreal to watch. From upsetting all the best teams in the league to making the most unimaginable plays in the clutch to dropping neverending buckets on anyone who tries to stop them, the sky’s is the limit for what the Pacers can achieve. And hey, what’s stopping them from going all the way this year? [Music]

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Intro 0:00 – 2:01
Down Bad Days 2:02 – 4:29
In Season Indy 4:30 – 9:34
2024 9:35 – 13:19
2025 13:20 – 20:51

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