The Indiana Pacers had a spectacular showing last season that culminated in an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals—their first since 2014. However, the team couldn't get past the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics, losing via a 4-0 sweep. While some may think reaching that stage is an accomplishment in itself, for Tyrese Haliburton , it only fuels his desire to do more.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Haliburton shared his thoughts on the team's success and failure and how it has motivated him to push even harder for the upcoming season.
The Pacers need to be greedy
After missing the postseason for three straight years, the Pacers rode Haliburton's brilliant playmaking and scoring skills all the way to the ECF. Unfortunately, after playing a key role in Indiana's wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the 6-foot-5 guard suffered a hamstring injury in Game 2 of the ECF and wasn't able to continue playing.
Now, back to full strength, Haliburton said that as happy as they were to reach that stage of the postseason, it wasn't something they hadn't expected.
"We had a great year. We did some special things. But for me, being honest with you, we didn't do anything to me that we weren't supposed to do. We had that expectation as a group, and I said that all last year. We expected to do what we did," the native of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, said .
When a team reaches the penthouse of an NBA season, there's always the threat of complacency seeping in. But Haliburton said that's something the Pacers will guard against.
"We want more, and I think we need to be greedy. If you really want to win, you really want to do something special, you gotta be greedy. I'm not satisfied with one Eastern Conference finals berth. That's not enough for me. I want a lot more for my career, and so do we as a team," last season's assist champion emphasized.
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Benefited from playing at 2024 Olympics
Haliburton will enter the 2024-25 campaign equipped with precious lessons he learned during his time with Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Although his playing time was scarce (8.8 minutes per game), the 2024 All-NBA Team member said the things he learned from LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry will be invaluable for his growth as a player.
"I never had that experience in my life. I think these are special circumstances, being surrounded by 11 of the greatest players in the world, so that's all a part of it," Tyrese remarked.
He added that he understood his place in Team USA's pecking order and had no problem contributing however he could. After all, if LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony rode the pine in the 2004 Athens Olympics, who was he to complain?
"For me, when you look at something like that, everybody has had to pay their dues at some point. I had a lot of conversations out there. Those guys all played in the 2004 Olympics and didn't really get to play a ton or as much as they wanted to. They kind of got a little taste of being benched," Hali said.
"So, I think it's all a part of it. I'm not bigger than any one group, and I'm not too proud to check my ego at the door for a bigger goal. We won a gold medal, and I get to tell my kids that I was a part of one of the greatest teams ever assembled," he added.
Although he's surrounded mainly by the same players he went to battle with last season, Haliburton hopes the result will be different this time around.
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