Ex-Cavs guard brutally trolls Tyrese Haliburton with Halle Berry analogy after mediocre outing in Game 3
Tyrese Haliburton has been one of the better playoff performers in this year's postseason, but not everyone is convinced that the Indiana Pacers guard is a legitimate playoff star yet. Iman Shumpert took to Instagram to call out Haliburton before Game 3 between the Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Cleveland ended up winning the game 126-104, avoiding a sweep.
Shumpert is a former NBA champion with the Cavaliers, winning the title alongside LeBron James in 2016. Since retiring from the league, Shumpert has built a career as a sports media personality, appearing on a variety of ESPN programs. He was in Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 3, and he didn't miss the opportunity to mess with Tyrese Haliburton before and after the game.
Despite winning two of the first three games in the series, Tyrese Haliburton hasn't had a statement game, especially compared to what Donovan Mitchell is doing for the Cavaliers. Shumpert has gone as far as to give the young guard two different personalities ahead of big games.
To him, he either shows up as Haliburton or Halle Berry. Shumpert posted multiple Instagram stories before the game tipped off on Friday night, asking his followers which player would show up for the Pacers in Game 3.
Shumpert posted multiple Instagram stories before the game tipped off on Friday night, asking his followers which player would show up for the Pacers in Game 3. Before the game, Shumpert got fans excited for the game, taking a video on the court. Once again, he wanted to know how Haliburton would approached the game with a chance to go up 3-0 in the series.
"We gonna find out," said Shumpert. "Is he Haliburton or Halle Berry?"
After a lackluster performance in the 22-point loss, Shumpert posted a picture of Berry, reminding fans which version of Haliburton played in the game. The Pacers' lead had just four points and only made two shots in 30 minutes on the floor.
Will Tyrese Haliburton be able to recover? Or is "HalleBerry" here to stay?
Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers have a chance to maintain home court advantage in their second-round series in Game 4, but Friday's matchup is concerning for Indiana fans. Their high-powered offense was held in check by the Cleveland defense and they still don't have an answer for Mitchell. The Cavaliers guard is averaging more than 40 points per game in the series.
Tyrese Haliburton was deemed the most overrated player in the NBA by his peers in a survey from the Athletic. The 2024 Olympian used that as motivation, sending Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks home in the opening round and stealing Game 2 on the road in the second round.
Indiana can't afford another poor performance from Haliburton if they want to return to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, the former All-Star has shown an ability to bounce back after rough outings. The Pacers need to end this series as soon as possible and prevent the Cavaliers from gaining any further momentum behind Mitchell.