The Indiana Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton didn’t just win Game 4 against the Cavaliers—they buried them. A 41-point halftime lead, the largest in franchise postseason history, tied an all-time NBA playoff record. They racked up 25 first-half assists (an NBA playoff record in the play-by-play era) and dropped more points in one half than they ever had in a postseason game. It was the kind of performance that usually earns champagne and cigars in the locker room. But not in Indiana.

Instead, Tyrese Haliburton and Rick Carlisle met the moment with a cold splash of reality. “We haven’t done anything yet,” Carlisle said postgame. Haliburton echoed the sentiment, stating the team still has “everything to prove.” It isn’t just humility—it is the culture. A mindset forged not in wins, but in the ashes of losses and the uncomfortable truth-telling that follows.

If you’ve wondered how the Pacers manage to bounce back every time they get smacked, this is how.

Tyrese Haliburton let the media in on one of Indiana’s best-kept playoff secrets: brutal honesty behind closed doors. “Our film sessions are always pretty ugly after a loss,” he said bluntly after the Game 4 win. The mood? Tense. The footage? Worse. The message? Clear.

And it all starts with Coach Carlisle, who Haliburton calls a “saint when it comes to adjustments.” But don’t mistake that for soft.

When things go sideways, Carlisle doesn’t tiptoe. He challenges players, starting with Tyrese Haliburton. “I typically get the brunt of it first,” the All-Star admitted, before noting how the accountability “trickles down” from there. It’s not about blame. It’s about trust. Carlisle can call out his top player because he’s invested in him—because their relationship can carry that weight.

“You always see him sitting down with guys in the gym,” Tyrese Haliburton added. “He just wants the best for this team and this organization.”

That’s what makes the tough moments bearable. That’s what makes the hard truths work. Because underneath the criticism is care. And underneath the frustration is belief: that the Pacers have everything they need to actually write history.

Historic Team Offense: Pacers Rewrite the Playoff Script

So, how exactly did the Pacers respond after getting punched in the mouth in Game 3? By dropping one of the most outrageous first halves in NBA playoff history, that’s how.

They hung 80 points on Cleveland before halftime. Not a typo. Eight. Zero. That gave them a 41-point cushion heading into the break, tying the largest halftime lead ever in a postseason game. Funnily enough, the Cavs were on the giving end of that record in 2017. This time? Not so much.

Indiana wasn’t just hot—they were humming. They shot 60% from the field, knocked down 12 of 18 from deep, and zipped the ball around like it was on a string. The end result? 25 first-half assists, a new playoff record in the play-by-play era. And the cherry on top? Aaron Nesmith drilled a buzzer-beater to make it official. You could feel the roof lifting at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

And get this—they did all of that after losing Bennedict Mathurin to a Flagrant 2 ejection less than eight minutes in. Didn’t matter. Pascal Siakam dropped 21, Obi Toppin and Myles Turner each had 20 (Turner didn’t miss a three), and Tyrese Haliburton ran the show like he was getting paid by the highlight.

Cleveland, meanwhile, looked like they’d shown up to the wrong game. They shot 25% from the field in the first half. Just three assists total. Only three guys made more than one shot. It was brutal.

Yes, Indiana defended well. But this was about the offense. About a team that turned film-room frustration into a record-breaking masterpiece. About a group that didn’t just bounce back—they blew the damn doors off.

And with that 129-109 win, they’re now up 3-1 and staring down a second straight trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.