It wasn’t that long ago that players voted to name Tyrese Haliburton as the most “overrated” player in the NBA today. Well, the Indiana Pacers’ point guard seems to have taken that personally. And tonight, Tyrese did something that not even legends like LeBron James and Stephen Curry could do. And this could open new doors for the 25-year-old in terms of individual accolades. But as big as the night was, his dad’s presence still meant the most to Tyrese.

Despite having a 2-1 series lead, Hali didn’t take his foot off the gas. No, in fact, if anything, he floored it, trying to steamroll the Knicks. Here’s the proof. Tyrese Haliburton scored 15 points, grabbed 5 boards, and dished out 6 dimes in the first 12 minutes with no turnovers. Per Stathead, he’s the first player ever to do that! Not LeBron, not Steph, not Kobe, not even Michael Jordan has done this!

Tyrese ended the game with 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 15 assists. And he credits this incredible performance to one man — John Haliburton. A reporter asked him if John, being back in the stands, had anything to do with his performance tonight. “Hell yeah! Yeah, I’m glad Pops in the building, man. Makes it that much more sweet. Yeah, it had a little bit to do with it,” said the Pacers guard.

What a wholesome way to celebrate his dad’s ban being lifted. After all, it seemed like we wouldn’t see John in the stands for a long time following his ban for disrespecting Giannis Antetokounmpo, after the Pacers bounced the Bucks from the Playoffs. But Pops’ ban was seemingly lifted at the best time possible.

After all, Hali’s performance means the Pacers are now closer to reaching their first NBA Finals since the turn of the century. They now have a 3-1 lead heading into Game 5 at MSG. And this year’s Playoffs have shown that a 3-1 lead is nearly insurmountable.

Moreover, getting to the NBA Finals means Tyrese may be in consideration for an award that the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown picked up last season. And if he wins it, he’ll be the first Pacer in history to do so.

Could Tyrese Haliburton win the Eastern Conference Finals MVP if the Pacers bounce the Knicks?

It probably goes without saying, but Tyrese has been immense in this year’s Playoffs. He’s averaging 19.4 points and 9.8 dimes per game in the postseason while causing the exit of some of the best players in the world. Donovan Mitchell, DPOY Evan Mobley, and the Greek Freak are just some of the names on Tyrese’s resume this postseason. But Tyrese seems to have saved the best for last.

Against the Knicks, Hali showed that he wasn’t even close to done yet. He exploded in Game 1 with a 31-point, 11-assist double-double with a clutch shot in the dying minutes of the fourth to send the game into overtime and help the Pacers win. Then, he ended the second game just two boards shy of a triple-double while only turning the ball over once. And even when he played his worst game of the series, the Pacers guard had 20 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals. To cap it all off, he had arguably his best game of his career tonight with a monster triple-double.

With stats like these, it’s hard to argue against Tyrese Haliburton’s case for Eastern Conference Finals MVP this season. Jaylen Brown picked up the prize last season, averaging 29.3 points,  5.0 rebounds a game. While Tyrese isn’t quite the scorer that Brown is, his contributions to other aspects of the game make him a worthy contender for this honor.

Moreover, it’s important to remember that the Knicks opened as favorites against the Pacers in this series. It was Haliburton’s insane performances that flipped the script and changed the bookmakers’ tunes. All in all, after doing what even legends like LeBron and Steph haven’t done in their careers so far, and being the Pacers’ most important player, Tyrese Haliburton should be named this year’s Eastern Conference Finals MVP!