17-Year NBA Veteran Calls Out Tyrese Haliburton After Pacers-Thunder Game 5

Former LA Clippers guard Lou Williams had some harsh words for Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton

Jun 16, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) comes off the floor past head coach Rick Carlisle in the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game five of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Growing conversations about Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton's place among the NBA's best players have swung back and forth with his playoff performances. The Pacers are down 3-2 in the NBA Finals with their backs against the wall for the first time in the 2025 playoffs.

Haliburton has grown to become the story of the playoffs alongside the NBA's Most Valuable Player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Haliburton averaged 21 points, 10.5 assists, and six rebounds per game in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks. Still, he has faced a different level of defensive intensity from the Thunder in the NBA Finals.

Through five games against Oklahoma City, Haliburton is averaging only 15 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game. His 4-point game without a field goal in Game 5 with the series tied at 2-2 was his worst performance of the playoffs thus far, and the Pacers are now down in a series for the first time in their 2025 playoff run.

Former Clippers guard Lou Williams appeared on FanDuel TV's "Run It Back" to discuss Haliburton's performance in Game 5.

"Once you step inside the lines, it doesn't matter what you're going through," Williams said.

He continued, "He was awful last night and that goes to show you that it's levels to this conversation being had."

Lou Williams on Tyrese Haliburton's Game 5:

"He was awful last night...it looked like the moment was a little too big for him and he didn't show up."@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/UsgZKbvxPJ

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) June 17, 2025

Williams' harsh words did not stop there, commenting on how the magnitude of a swing game in the NBA Finals could have gotten to Haliburton.

"It looked like the moment was a little too big for him and he didn't show up," he exclaimed.

The NBA Finals return to Indiana, as Haliburton, recovering from a calf injury, aims to force a Game 7.

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