Draymond & Baron on Tyrese Haliburton's "GENIUS" performance in Pacers-Knicks NBA playoffs series

In a candid YouTube conversation, former NBA players Draymond Green and Baron Davis break down Tyrese Haliburton’s breakout playoff performance for the Indiana Pacers against the New York Knicks. They highlight his stat line (32 points, 12 rebounds, 15 assists, 4 steals, 0 turnovers) and argue that his ball‑handling, spacing, and ability to avoid defensive pressure make him a "genius" point guard. The duo recounts an early‑2000s NBA replay controversy involving Davis’s own game‑winning buzzer‑beater, illustrating how replay rules evolved. They also discuss the presence of Haliburton’s father (“Pops”) at games, debating whether special treatment is justified and suggesting ways the league could accommodate him. The conversation ends with light‑hearted series predictions (Pacers vs. Knicks) and banter about the future of the matchup.
Chapters
And then Halliburton, you know, you gotta pay attention to this man. He is their engine. So you gotta make him pick one way he's gonna play. Either he gonna beat you on the points or you just gonna make him pass and make somebody else become the playmaker.
Exactly. But 32, 12, and 15.
Come on, man.
15 assists.
That's BD numbers.
That's crazy. 4 steals, 0 turnovers. That is BD number. BD, you had a game like that in your career.
Yeah.
0 turnovers, 2 steals. I mean, Holly had the edge. 2 steals, Holly had 4.
Yeah.
10 assists, you had, Holly had 15. 14 rebounds, you had, Holly had 12. You got Holly there.
Yeah.
You had 33, Holly had 32. You got in there. You remember that performance?
I hit the game winner that day, and that is the sole reason why we have replay.
They called it off?
They waved him off.
That's crazy. Man, you, hey, so it wasn't no replay to confirm that?
Man, he called it off before I even released the ball. It was 0.7, 0.8 seconds. He went to the replay, doubled down. It was like, no way he got it off.
Who's the official?
What was his name? Bernie Friar, maybe? I can't remember his name. Maybe. He waved it off. We wound up going to overtime against Orlando. But then in that same, I think playoffs, Derek Fisher hit, remember the shot against San Antonio?
0.4.
Yeah. And then that's when they came with the replay. Oh, we gonna have to start, going to the replay to see if these shots work or not. 'Cause how could Derrick Fisher shot count and mine not?
That's crazy.
So a little taste of history, NBA history, man. History of the game. But shout out to Halliburton.
That's fun.
You know, a performance like that, you in your bag, you have control. I remember playing against Orlando, feeling that, That same thing. Anytime Patrick Ewing was in the pick and roll, 'cause Pat was older, man, it's 2 dribbles. Make him slide twice, he gotta go back, and I'm following him right to the basket to create, right? If it's anybody else, they switch, it's over. When you in flow like that and you see everything, the game for Halliburton— He'd be wide open. He be shooting wide open threes.
It's like they give him so much space and his shot takes a little time to load it up anyway. And they give him so much space and he just like, get it loaded.
Yeah, nobody's putting pressure on him. I mean, he's a great guard and you gotta like, once again, pick your poison, but nobody has challenged him. Nobody's challenged his handle, challenged his ability to create his shot off the bounce. They just, let him set, he just set him up.
He's genius.
He do? He's genius.
He do?
He has set you up. For sure.
But BD, I was talking to Travis the other day about this. Travis was like, man, is Davis, his handle like that? And I'm telling you, the reason they don't press him like that though, is how he handle is very underrated.
Yeah.
And sneaky. And all them boys know at different points when they tried to press him, he'll bam-bam. He hit Mikal Bridges with one at the end of the game. The play where he got past, got to Mitchell Robinson and ran back. If you watch that play, he bap, bap.
No, he turned him around.
Oh, crazy.
No, he spun him around.
And so I think all of those guys also know that if they try to pressure him, he'll bop they ass so fast. And they know that. But it don't look, if you're watching the TV, it don't look like his handle like that. But I'm telling you, man, when you get in front, it's like Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving. Their ball handling starts when it appear to you that they've lost the basketball because you think they've lost it and they got it so crazy on the yo-yo where as soon as you go to reach, you so outta position and they didn't call and you so outta position that there's no way you could catch up. Halle got some of that where it's deceiving. Like you, the ball look like it's staring, Before you know it, you go to reach and bop bop. And Halle's 6'7". So whereas Kyrie and Steph make it up in like herky-jerking, like just the— Halle also, like he bop bop you, he's 6'7". His stride, he gone, you know? And so it's very interesting to watch because looking at it on TV, it don't look, it don't appear that his handle is like that. When you play, his handle is way—
Yeah.
Tighter and nicer than it may appear. And I think those guys know that. That's why they not pressuring them like that. But you gotta, you can't just, he too good to just let him see the court and pick you apart.
Yeah, he shift, he shifty. His is like body movement. Like he's trying to keep you off balance, keep you guessing. And it's not necessarily like attack at you, it's to keep you moving side to side and guessing. If you, if you do wanna press, he gone. Out. If you don't press, he's stepping back. So just great sign of a point guard of knowing, you know, your space out there on the floor, your space, your defender space, and being able to control the game by keeping your defender off you. And if they come up on him, he been getting to the hole too. So you gotta figure out something.
Yeah, I mean, also he had Pops back in the building. Shout out to that. Shout out to Commissioner Adam Silver getting that done. I think that's fire. I think the only thing now is like, they gonna be going on the road. Like, let Pops go on the road. You still gotta sit in the suite, Pops. I'm not in the business of wanting guys to get punished and like wanting guys to get suspended and losing money. I think that shit's whack. And so I, I never like to see that, but in this situation, And what happened with Holly Pops and the punishment and all that and everybody like, "Oh man, he shouldn't get special treatment." Like, yes he should because his son is Tyrese Halliburton. And just say what you want in life. Like different people get different treatment. That's just what it is. Like we can all sugarcoat it and be like, "Oh, like everything should be the same." That ain't how this world work. It's just not. And so he should get special treatment. He should be at them games. Granted, he shouldn't be courtside, he should be in the suite. I think he should still be able to be in the suite at Madison Square Garden, right? Like, Holly gotta pay for it. So that's your punishment, right? Pops come to the game, you end up, you gotta buy a suite somehow. I don't think Holly tripping over that punishment. I'm sure he want Pops at all these games, right? Like, and, and so I, I just think like, find a way, man, for that man to be in the building. This don't happen often. Like, his son is on the verge of, taking the Indiana Pacers to the NBA Finals to possibly win a championship. Let them experience that. Did he have a fucked up moment with Giannis? Absolutely. Giannis said he moved on. If Giannis moved on, y'all move on, everybody move on, right? And so let that man be in the building at all them games. 'Cause as someone who's been in the position, it's nothing like it. Like, and you don't get these, like these moments just don't come back around. I was fortunate enough to be in the moment over and over again, but it just don't happen like that all the time. Yeah. All the time, man. And so let Pops be at all the games. Make Halle Ashford spend some of that supermax money he got and buy them suites at the road games too. But let Pops be at all them games. It's dope.
Yeah.
Shout out to Halle for responding the way he did with Pops in the building, making it a memorable performance having his pops back in the building. I thought that was super dope. So shout out to them, man. And I got them closing out the Knicks in 5.
Knicks in 7.
What Shannon Sharpe say? A tick, a big, Knicks, Pacers in 5.
Hilarious. Knicks in 7. We still got hope.
Oh no, it's over, chat. It's a wrap.
We'll see.
It's rap. It's rap.
We'll see.
I mean, it is rap city in the basement.
We'll see. Knicks win game 5 just because of Draymond Green.
I'm just telling you, man, them Pacers ready to move on.
They ballin' now.
They definitely putting it together, man.
More from Draymond

Draymond Green on Brandin Podziemski Extension, Darius Acuff Interaction, & Weird Rudy Gobert Talk

"I Was Waiting for You All Game!" | Deni Avdija & Draymond Green Recall Iconic On-Court Moment

Deni Avdija on Becoming an NBA All-Star, Playing In NBA Playoffs & Hilarious Draymond Green Story

Draymond Green on Warriors Preseason, NBA Push-Off Rule, & LeBron's Fanatics Helicopter Deal

"Awful Representation" — Draymond Green Sounds Off on Dalton Knecht's Lakers Purgatory

Draymond Green Explains How Micah Nori Handled Damian Lillard & Ja Morant Lineup Controversy Wrong

Draymond Green Exposes How Contract Drama Destroys Locker Rooms After Jalen Duren Re-Signs



