Tyrese Haliburton is a beast, and Donovan Mitchell knows this very well.
The Cleveland Cavaliers went up against the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the 2025 NBA playoff series.
During the second quarter, when the Pacers were already down 49-59, Haliburton got the opportunity at the free-throw line. However, the Cavs fans were savage to trash Hali.
While the Pacers’ star was making the free throw, Cleveland fans started chanting “overrated.”
Despite putting out absolute performances lately, the chant was too much for Hali. Amazingly, Mitchell stepped in and defended his opponent’s best player.
Cavs fans were chanting "overrated" at Hali and Spida signaled them to stop
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 7, 2025
Respect 🫡 pic.twitter.com/2gkSoikwVL
When the crowd was chanting at full pace, Mitchell made a hand gesture to put the chants to rest, which the crowd duly followed.
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Haliburton has faced his share of unfair criticism. And it was great to see Mitchell trying to calm the crowd and remind them that they’re witnessing a talented player at work.
Tyrese Haliburton Put Up A Show For Cavs Fans
Cavaliers fans had plenty to worry about as they watched Tyrese Haliburton get hot in the second half.
After the Pacers fell behind by 20 points in the third quarter, they made an impressive push to come back. Haliburton came through in a big way, scoring 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.
His contributions helped the Pacers outscore the Cavaliers 36-21 in those final 12 minutes.
TYRESE HALIBURTON WINS GAME 2 FOR THE PACERS 😱🤯
— NBA (@NBA) May 7, 2025
WHAT. A. WILD. PLAY. pic.twitter.com/rFsjZmtrBz
With the Pacers trailing 119-117 and just 12.4 seconds left on the clock, Haliburton pulled off a savvy move. He intentionally missed his second free throw, snagged his own rebound, and then calmly stepped back to the 3-point line.
He sank a clutch game-winning shot with only 1.1 seconds to go. This incredible play capped off an 8-0 run for the Pacers, taking advantage of some costly mistakes from the Cavaliers. That also included a botched inbounds pass with 27.5 seconds remaining.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for the Cavaliers, especially after Donovan Mitchell delivered an incredible performance. He dropped a game-high 48 points, along with five rebounds, nine assists, and four steals.
He also shot 50% from the field (15-for-30). But despite his efforts, the Cavs fell short in the end.
