After the NBA Midseason Championship quarterfinals are out, the most favored Eastern teams are the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks. However, it was a surprise that the Celtics were eliminated by the Pacers in the quarterfinals, and the team with a luxurious roster suffered an outing. Haliburton, known for his high assists and low turnovers, is once again in the spotlight, and in the semifinals, the Pacers eliminated the Celtics one after another, and then faced the Bucks with the Big Three, whether they can continue to be the dark horse has become the biggest attraction of this game. Haliburton continued his usual solid play in the game, and despite the Pacers' poor three-point shooting as a team, he still led the Bucks for an extended period of time, leading by as many as 12 points.
Although Lillard exploded in one quarter to help the Bucks take the lead, he fell into a slump again in the final quarter, and the Pacers defeated the Bucks 128-119 to advance to the midseason tournament finalsHaliburton led the team to advance and booked the best team position with his outstanding performance. Haliburton was selected by the Kings with the 12th pick in the first round in the '20 draft, but was not considered a priority. He was sent to the Pacers the following season, and since moving to Indiana, Haliburton has improved dramatically to become the best all-round guard in the league. This season, he is averaging 26 points, 4 rebounds, and 119 assists and 1One steal and very few turnovers is why he is a popular candidate to be named to the All-Star team. Against the Eastern Conference giants Bucks, Haliburton continued his consistent performance.
Heavily defended by the Bucks, he hit 11 of 19 shots and averaged 27 points, seven rebounds, 15 assists and one block. And with no mistakes in the case of assists and double-doubles, Haliburton's strong performance became the most important reason for the Pacers to beat their opponents. Despite his struggles and Lillard's outburst in one quarter, he still bears the responsibility for the defeat. The Bucks signed Lillard in the offseason with the aim of winning the O'Brien Cup again. However, Lillard's performance after coming to Milwaukee was a big surprise. In the first half of this semifinals, Lillard scored only 4 points and was directly blown out by Haliburton. Although he burst out in the third quarter, he went invisible again in the final quarter, causing the Bucks to lose. The Bucks' ability to keep the game out of garbage time is largely dependent on the hard work of Brother Alphabet. In this game, Antetokounmpo played well under the basket, contributing a double-double of 37 points and 10 rebounds with great efficiency.
However, basketball is ultimately a team sport of five people, and it is difficult for him to beat his opponent alone. Although Lillard and Haliburton are not much different in terms of individual scoring, in terms of organization and stability, Haliburton completely overwhelms Lillard, which is also an important reason why the Pacers can win. In the other semifinals, the Lakers will face the Pelicans, and it remains to be seen if the Purple and Gold can meet the Pacers.