"PUT SOME RESPECT ON US" - Tyrese Haliburton's girlfriend Jade Jones sends strong message to Pacers underminers after upsetting top-seeded Cavs
Tyrese Haliburton's girlfriend, Jade Jones, delivered a strong message to the Indiana Pacers' doubters after they eliminated the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. The Pacers put an end to the Cavs' season with a 114-105 win on Tuesday.
In a post on her Instagram stories, Jones shared a graphic from the Pacers' account featuring Haliburton, Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam. The trio was a huge reason why Indiana is back in the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year.
"PUT SOME RESPECT ON US," Jones wrote.
After a scoreless first quarter, Tyrese Haliburton finished with 31 points, six rebounds and eight assists to lead the Indiana Pacers. Pascal Siakam contributed 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Andrew Nembhard had 18 points, three rebounds and six assists.
Myles Turner only had 10 points but hit the dagger 3-point shot with about a minute left in the game. The Pacers were down by as much as 19 points in the first half before storming back with a strong start to the third quarter and never looked back.
On the other hand, Donovan Mitchell played through a sprained left ankle to finish with 35 points and nine rebounds. Evan Mobley had his best game of the series with 24 points and 11 rebounds, but Darius Garland was limited to just 11 points and Max Strus was held scoreless.
It was a disappointing exit by the Cavs, especially after the season they had. They were the top seed in the East with a record of 64-18. They had the second-best odds in the East to get into the NBA Finals when the conference semifinals began.
LeBron James calls out Tyrese Haliburton haters
One of the biggest storylines for the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs was Tyrese Haliburton being voted by his peers as the most overrated player in the NBA. Haliburton laughed off the notion, letting his game do the talking, especially after the Pacers eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.
However, the "overrated" tag lingered heading into the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. With his performance in the series plus the impressive result, Haliburton seemingly got the last laugh.
LeBron James called out voters after the Pacers' win on Tuesday.
"Hali fkn hooping!!!! Where the lames who said he was overrated??!! Quiet as hell. That boy NICE and even more someone everyone would love to play with!" James tweeted.
The Pacers will face the winner of the Boston Celtics-New York Knicks series. The Knicks are up 3-1 against Boston heading into Game 5.
