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“Pacers Are A Problem”: NFL Legend Warns NBA After Tyrese Haliburton & Co Take Insurmountable Lead Over Undermanned Bucks

Published 04/28/2024, 10:48 PM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

The Indiana Pacers have defied expectations during the ongoing Playoff series. Despite facing off against the Milwaukee Bucks, a team with one of the best win records during the regular season, they are now cruising with a 3-1 lead. The offensive effort of Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers against an injury-ridden Milwaukee is being noticed not only among NBA enthusiasts but also in the NFL.

Barely an hour ago, former Indianapolis Colts player and sports analyst Pat McAfee highlighted the Pacers’ recent win. Taking to his official X account, the former sportsman proceeded to write “THE PACERS ARE A PROBLEM”. In all caps.

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Having been away from the football field as a player for over 8 years now, McAfee has taken his talents to analysing other sports. From complementing Nikola Jokic’s athleticism to hyping up the feats of Zion Williamson, there is seldom a moment when the 36-year-old hasn’t been seen making his thoughts on the NBA known. With the Pacers surprising the NBA world through their significant lead, it made sense for him to send out a warning to all the remaining franchises who may have to deal with them soon.

The Indiana Pacers kicked off their playoff season at an advantage. Bucks star player Giannis Antetokounmpo had been ruled out of his team’s three final regular season games and wasn’t cleared to appear in the playoffs as well. Lady luck favored the Pacers even more during Game 4, as Damian Lillard was also declared out of the recent matchup after the player developed an Achilles Injury. Giannis and Lillard together made an average of 54.7 points during the regular season. Their absence left a big dent in the scoring effort, and Tyrese Haliburton took full advantage of it recently.

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How did Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers perform during Game 4?

Despite securing an average of 20.1 points during the regular season, Tyrese Haliburton wasn’t able to carry his total to that level during the previous three playoff games. However, the same changed during Game 4, as the Pacers point guard proceeded to score 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists during his 32 minutes on the court. This performance of his took place one game after he became the fourth player in Pacers history to record a triple-double during the playoffs. Center Myles Turner led the scoring effort with his 29, while Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, and Obi Toppin also scored in the double digits.

The 24-year-old made noticeable strides in his shooting ability as well, by going 5-12 with his three-pointers. Thanks to his recent performance, Haliburton has now become only the second player in the history of the NBA to average 15+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 10+ assists during his first 4 playoff games, right behind Oscar Robertson. According to Statmuse, the Pacers have now also become the first team to make 30 or more assists during the ongoing Playoffs.

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USA Today via Reuters

Tyrese Haliburton and his band of brothers now need just another win to head to the next stage of the playoffs. While their ongoing streak shows that they are well on the way, perhaps, it is still too soon to call a shot.

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Written by:

Ashmit Kumar

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Ashmit is an NBA Content Analyst at EssentiallySports. Having started as a writer, he specializes in writing captivating stories that include the elements of in-depth coverage of teams, players and more. Due to his knowledge of the technicalities of the sport, Ashmit writes perspective pieces that provide well-researched analysis.
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Edited by:

Jayant Chhabra