What's fueling Tyrese Haliburton's historic NBA playoff run? - ESPN

THE BALL BOUNCED high in the air off the back of the rim as Tyrese Haliburton backpedaled across half court. He knew where it was about to land.

He had gotten exactly the shot he'd wanted, racing toward the basket with the middle of the floor open, before turning around and dashing back toward the 3-point line so he could slide into the step-back jumper. It has become his signature move.

He said he felt like the ball got stuck in the air, rising and falling along with the hopes of more than 19,000 raucous fans. As the ball slipped through the net, he also knew exactly how he wanted to commemorate the occasion.

He turned toward Reggie Miller — the Hall of Famer and Pacers legend-turned-TNT commentator — on the sideline, the two men now bonded through their mutual tormenting of this New York crowd. As he made his way toward him, Haliburton put his hands toward his throat, mimicking the now-iconic gesture Miller had taunted Knicks fans with 30 years prior, holding the pose as his teammates mobbed him at half court.

Haliburton thought he'd hit the game winner, but the replay would reveal his foot was on the line, sending the game into overtime; he admitted after the game he would have waited to unveil the celebration if he'd known the game wasn't over. But Haliburton had paved the way for Indiana to complete the kind of improbable comeback the Pacers have started to make routine. After Indiana sealed the overtime victory, Haliburton shared a moment with Miller from across the court — a point and acknowledging glare from Miller, the torch passed from one troll to the next.

«Definitely a special time,» Haliburton said after the game. «Really cool he was in the building for that.»

The shot was his third game winner of the