'I wasn't myself': Tyrese Haliburton knows he wasn't aggressive enough in Game 1

NEW YORK – In every game he plays, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton has to figure out how to strike the right balance.

His most elite skills are his ability to pass, play-make and generally create for others. He led the NBA in assists in the regular season and he earned a spot on Team USA for the Olympics over numerous players who scored more points this season for those reasons more than any other. He's the engine that drives the Pacers' offense because he spreads the ball around and finds every one of his teammates in advantageous positions and knows how to maximize their specific skills.

But he's also one of the Pacers' top scorers – arguably their best perimeter threat when his 3-pointer is going down. And when he's aggressive in looking for his own shot, that tends to help him create opportunities for others as he can get defenses scrambled by getting in the paint or spacing the floor by hitting 3s. He's at his most effective as a passer when he's also scoring, but the flip side of that is that opponents know that and dedicate substantial resources to guarding him and making him uncomfortable. That kind of defensive focus can make it a problem if Haliburton tries to force the issue, which can lead to bad shots and turnovers.

Haliburton left the Pacers' Game 1 121-117 loss to the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals knowing that he'd dramatically failed to strike the balance he wanted. In 36 minutes, he took just six shots, five of them 3-pointers, and just one coming in the paint. He hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter, another in the second, and then he didn't score again. In nearly 19 second-half minutes, he took one shot – a 3-pointer – and dished out three assists but also committed three turnovers in the game's final five minutes and was -11 when he was on the floor. He finished with eight assists, not a bad number certainly, but below par from him. The performance stood in stark contrast to that of fellow All-Star Jalen Brunson, who scored 43 points including 21 in the fourth quarter alone with a total of 26 field goal attempts.

"They're a good defensive team, but I think it's a Tyrese issue more than it's a Knicks issue," Haliburton said after practice Tuesday at the court at the NBA Players Association office in midtown Manhattan. "I'll be better in Game 2."

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Haliburton's numbers in Game 1 against the Knicks were strikingly and problematically similar to his numbers in Game 1 against the Bucks. He took just seven shots in that game, hitting four to finish with nine points to go with eight assists. He took just three field goal attempts after halftime, making one for just two points, though he had five assists.

Haliburton noticed the trend as well.

"I have to be more aggressive, be myself," Haliburton said. "Even in Game 1 of the last series, I wasn't myself. Just lack of aggression, my energy, everything was off (Monday). I'll be better in Game 2."

Part of what's off is he isn't totally healthy. He hasn't mentioned the hamstring strain he suffered in January as a problem in a while, but he has been listed as questionable on the injury report for several games with lower back spasms. He has played through them in every case. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said he expects Haliburton to play through those for Game 2 as well, but acknowledged that it he's not 100%.

"He's playing through some stuff," Carlisle said. "He'll be on the injury report as questionable for tomorrow with a back thing. I'm confident he'll play. But he is playing through some stuff. ... He's working at it. Doing everything he can to feel as good as possible."

Haliburton declined to discuss the effect of the injury in detail.

"Everybody is going through something right now," Haliburton said. "It's the second round of the playoffs. I'll be fine."

He has played better with the back issue than he did on Monday. He had 17 points and 10 assists in the Pacers' Game 6 win over the Bucks, taking 16 shots, and he scored at least 12 points in Games 2-6 of that series.

Haliburton was asked whether that's a sign that he was feeling out the Knicks in Game 1 after feeling out the Bucks in Game 1 of that series, but he said in both cases he just made poor calculations when it came to determining the balance of creating and attacking.

"That's a battle I face every game," Haliburton said. "I think every player in this league who is a scorer and a high-usage guy and passes the ball a lot, it's a balance we all have to find. It's not easy. But obviously I erred on the side of playmaking yesterday and that wasn't the right decision for me. I still gotta be who I am."

Haliburton was asked if he saw repetitive issue in terms of lack of aggression, if there were places on the floor or scenarios where he saw himself consistently making mistakes by being passive.

"For sure, but I'm not gonna tell y'all that," Haliburton said. "There are definitely areas where I can be better and I'm aware of that. That's a conversation I'm having with myself every day, having with (personal trainer Drew Hanlen), having with other players, having with coaching staff. I'm definitely aware of it and like I said, I'll be better (Wednesday)."

Carlisle has been defensive of Haliburton's struggles to score for months. Haliburton averaged 21.8 points per game before the All-Star break and was above that number before his hamstring injury in January but after the break he averaged 17.3 per game. He continually pointed out that Haliburton's value is more in his ability create than score and said, "Who cares?" about Haliburton's scoring more than once. But after Game 1, he took responsibility himself for the lack of scoring output.

"I gotta do a better job of getting him more shots," Carlisle said.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tyrese Haliburton knows he needs to be more aggressive in Game 2