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AMadison Square Garden full of celebrities was the stage in which Tyrese Haliburton established himself as a rising NBA star. The 24-year-old point guard led the Indiana Pacers to a decisive victory 130-109 over the New York Knicks in a definitive Game 7 to qualify for the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
An aggressive defense against Jalen Brunson led the Pacers to their first Conference Final appearance in a decade. Now they will face the favorite Boston Celtics.
Haliburton, chosen twelfth in the 2020 draft, was already the third best rookie of his debut season 2020-2021, with the Sacramento Kings. Last year was his first full season on the team and he already made a place for himself after showing a maturity uncharacteristic for his age and a range of resources that is difficult to stop.
He showed during the NBA Tournament his high level of play, and this Sunday he led his team to a complete exhibition in which they dominated a New York that looked lost.
This Game 7 was a blast from the past
This seventh game had the flavor of the duels of the past, which pitted Pat Ewing's Knicks and Reggie Miller's Pacers. Two of those confrontations in 1994 and 1995 were resolved, as on this occasion, in a decisive Game 7, one for each team.
The rivalry between these two teams produced instant classics in the 90s and everyone had a nostalgic take to this series before it even began.
This time, the Pacers have once again been successful in their attempt to advance in the playoffs and bragging rights are once again in play for the season and years to come.