NBA In-Season Tournament culminates in magic mix of past, present and future

LAS VEGAS — As Tyrese Haliburton made his way toward the white SUV that was waiting for him outside T-Mobile Arena on Friday afternoon, the obstacles to his exit were many.

Reporters, photographers and league officials surrounded the Indiana Pacerspoint guard as if they were defenders on the hardwood, with Haliburton weaving through the foot traffic with far less ease than he had the day before against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Pacers’ In-Season Tournament semifinal win. This sort of global attention, brought on by his magical run in this inaugural event that has been such a worthwhile gamble for the league here in Sin City, is all new to the 23-year-old who grew up in Oshkosh, Wis.

So, he was asked on his way out, was it surreal to see the kind of Haliburton hubbub that far exceeds anything he enjoyed in high school, his two years at Iowa State and perhaps even his time with Team USA at the FIBA World Cup tournament last summer?

“Nah, it’s fire,” Haliburton told The Athletic. “So no, it’s a special moment for me right now, you know? To be in front of everybody, it’s definitely something I’ve always dreamed of. It’s awesome to be a part of it. Growing up, you always played video games, and you always want to be a part of that. So to actually have that feeling in real life? It’s crazy.”

Yet beyond all the Haliburton hysteria that has enveloped the In-Season Tournament, there’s another important element to his superstar turn that has surely left NBA officials ecstatic. Haliburton, whose authenticity and charisma have come through so clearly in these past few days, is nailing his audition on the NBA version of “America’s Got Talent” (which, coincidentally, tapes here in Vegas).

During this era of global growth in which the last five MVPs have gone to international players, and with American-born stars such as Ja Morant and Zion Williamson struggling so mightily to take the stateside torch that LeBron James has carried for more than two decades now, he is officially the NBA’s next best thing on this front.

How fitting, then, that the Pacers’ title game on Saturday will come against LeBron and his Los Angeles Lakers at T-Mobile Arena.Haliburton has the game to belong in that conversation, to be sure, right alongside Minnesota’s rising star, Anthony Edwards. His Pacers line this season is proof positive enough: 26.9 points, a league-leading 12.1 assists per game and a shooting ability that is Stephen Curry-esque (44.1 percent from 3-point range on 8.9 attempts). He has the kind of dazzling style that typically drives ratings and a joyful disposition on the court that resonates with teammates and fans alike. But he has all off-court intangibles that make the marketing component so much easier too: personality, a winning smile, a comfort level in front of the cameras and a youthfulness that came through as he reflected on his latest performance

As he prepared to take on Milwaukee, with luminaries like Pacers legend Reggie Miller and so many other greats on hand for the game, Haliburton glanced at the front row and saw Julius Erving.

“I was like ‘That’s Dr. J!’” he said while re-enacting the way he pointed in Erving’s direction.

There was a time not so long ago when he would have had the same reaction to LeBron, his favorite player growing up.

“I had every jersey — Cavs, Heat, Cavs again, then Lakers,” Haliburton told The Athletic. “I had a Fathead (poster of James) in my room. I never got an autograph, but I did rip the Sports Illustrated (picture of James) out and pinned him on my wall. It ran deep, so this is a special moment.”

In that sense, the title game will be a beautiful blend of the NBA old and new. James (25 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists per) has been doing the unimaginable in Season No. 21, dominating with the kind of speed, force and smarts that we’ve never seen from a player at this late stage.

He had his way with the youngsters in the semifinal against New Orleans, finishing with 30 points (9-of-12 shooting; 4-of-4 on 3s), eight assists, five rebounds, no turnovers and a team-best plus-minus mark (plus-36).

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was so impressed, as he shared with reporters on Friday, that he declared James still in his prime.

“I’m watching the guy last night, and it’s phenomenal,” Carlisle said. “Someone just gave me the stat. He’s the only player in NBA history who has been the youngest player in the league and the oldest player in the league — both. That speaks to obviously an amazing run of longevity and, in his case, greatness.

“He’s the all-time leading scorer, and if there’s a Mount Rushmore, he’s one of the guys on the NBA Mount Rushmore. That’s what we’re up against tomorrow. We’re up against him and Anthony Davis and a lot of other very good players that are on a real uptick right now competitively.”

The game is one thing, though. The league’s landscape in the future is quite another.

“Well, the NBA is set up for a long time,” Carlisle said.

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