'Overrated to Inevitable': Hali’s historic playoffs

• Tyrese Haliburton was labelled the NBA’s most overrated player
• Haliburton became the first player to hit a game winner in every round of an NBA playoffs
• Indiana Pacers, led by Haliburton, are two wins away from winning their first NBA Championship

As he spearheads an underdog Indiana Pacers team, Tyrese Haliburton is continuing to make history as he fights to deliver the franchise their first NBA Championship.

The Pacers and Thunder are tied at 2-2 and Haliburton is making a mockery of the ‘overrated’ label he was bestowed late in the season.

In April 2025, Tyrese Haliburton was voted the most overrated player in the league by fellow NBA players in an anonymous poll conducted by The Athletic.

The label has since followed Haliburton and has been adopted by rival fans to heckle the player throughout the playoffs.

"I must be doing something right if that's the case. I'm good. I could care less”, Haliburton declared.

Haliburton’s competitive and fiery personality is known to ruffle the feathers of many players and fan bases in the NBA. In this year’s Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, Haliburton pulled out Reggie Miller’s iconic “choke” celebration, which only served to further irritate Knicks home fans in Madison Square Garden.

In the series against the Cavaliers, Cleveland fans made it their goal to remind Haliburton of the overrated label, chanting constantly as he stood at the free throw line. Haliburton responded as he usually does, taking to the press conference to hit back.

“I didn't know we had beef, but, yeah, I guess, good for them, man,” he said.

“But for me, I just control what I can, man. And, yeah, I mean, overate that.”

The two-time NBA All-Star and Olympic Games gold medallist oozes a confidence that many of the game’s greatest have throughout their careers. While sacrificing an element of popularity, his on the court success has carried him on a path to greatness backed by his competitive nature.

Aside from his highly competitive and fiery personality, many have used Haliburton’s unorthodox playing style and shooting form as a way to criticise his game with members of the NBA community scrutinising Haliburton’s inability to consistently shoot the ball at a high clip.

"Tyrese Haliburton, he has these games where he goes in and out, where he can dominate and look like one of the best players in the league, and there's other games where he puts up 12, 10 and 6. Those are tour dates. Your best player can't put up tour dates in the NBA Finals,” ESPN commentator Richard Jefferson said during a Finals broadcast.

Haliburton responded almost instantly, knocking down his fourth game winner of the 2025 playoffs, silencing the Oklahoma City Thunder crowd with 0.3 seconds remaining in Game One of the NBA Finals.

In an era of basketball where offensive output has skyrocketed, the use of offensive stats to validate player’s skillset and cloud the minds and judgements of fans has underestimated the value of players such as Haliburton.

"The way the game is digested by fans sometimes I think it's a lot of box score watchers” Haliburton said.

Although Haliburton might not be that constant scoring presence across four quarters the way MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is, it is his ability to turn up at the most important moments that frustrates rival fans.

His game extends beyond shooting the ball with Haliburton recording an eight to one assist to turnover ratio this postseason. Tyrese Haliburton’s elite playmaking has been showcased at the highest level, leading the NBA playoffs in average assists per game (9.3) and total assists (186).

In the 2025 NBA playoffs, he’s averaging 18.6 points which ranks 27th in the 2024-25 playoffs scoring leaders. However, in the clutch, Haliburton became the first player to have a game winner in every playoff series.

Haliburton is shooting six for seven on shots to tie or take the lead in the final 90 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime, which is the most in a single postseason since 1997.

Haliburton's ability to assert his presence in moments where opposition fans are at their most hopeful, will only serve to perpetuate fans frustration with his game.

When it matters most, it’s clear Haliburton rises above everyone and can deliver for his team. Haliburton's playoff run demonstrates he is far from “overrated”.

His unorthodox approach to games and ability to rip out the hearts of opposition fans in the dying moments has placed him in a sphere of dislike that has continued throughout the playoffs.

However, it is the same arrogance and self-confidence that were celebrated in Micheal Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird and Allen Iverson. With the NBA Finals now a best of three, Haliburton’s continued historic playoff run makes for must watch basketball.