Tyrese Haliburton Explains Why He Has Celtics Matchup Circled

Tyrese Haliburton earned his first NBA All-Star selection last season and signed a max contract extension with the Pacers this summer.

Tyrese Haliburton's coming off a season where he generated over 20 points per game, 10.4 assists, nearly four rebounds per contest, and 1.6 steals. His production earned him his first selection to the NBA All-Star Game.

The Indiana Pacers star has this small-market team and its fan base brimming with optimism about the direction of a franchise that's added two top-10 draft picks the last two years, Bennedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker, and acquired NBA champion Bruce Brown and another recent top-10 selection, Obi Toppin.

While Haliburton's currently helping lead the USA Men's National Basketball Team in the FIBA World Cup, in an interview with ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the former Iowa State Cyclone shared that he has one game in particular on his mind when thinking about the 2023-24 NBA campaign.

That matchup is against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 30, 2024, at TD Garden.

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"It's also my girl's birthday, that's why I know it," he told Windhorst. "But, yeah, that's the night."

It's also the first time Haliburton will play in an NBA game on TNT. The former 12th overall pick started his career in Sacramento, suiting up for struggling Kings teams before the franchise ended its playoff drought last season.

Now, he's helping the Pacers, who signed him to a maximum contract extension with incentives that could make it worth north of $260 million, garner more recognition, including this national TV appearance vs. the Celtics.

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