3 Pacers peaking at the right time ahead of Eastern Conference Finals series vs Boston Celtics

Tyrese Haliburton

Tyrese Haliburton looked like he was on his way to a generational campaign in the early going of the 2023-24 schedule, but his play quickly fell off and by the time the playoffs rolled around, he had lost his position as one of the game's best point guards.

It's fair to say he earned that back with a spectacular Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on May 19, knocking down 10 of his 17 shot attempts including six of 12 from beyond the arc. To be fair, he probably earned that back before that by scoring 69 points in Game 2 and Game 3 of the Knicks series.

Regardless, Haliburton is now the bane of New Yorkers' existence much in the way Trae Young was during the 2021 playoffs after his Atlanta Hawks gentlemen's swept the Knicks. He solidified that by wearing a Reggie Miller shirt depicting the legendary sharpshooter's infamous "choking" gesture towards Spike Lee in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.

Will he serve that same role against the Celtics? It all depends on what version of Haliburton will show up. If the double-double machine does, he very well could.