Lakers capture first ever In-Season Tournament title
The first ever In-Season tournament championship was an exciting matchup between established greatness in Lebron James and Anthony Davis for the Los Angeles Lakers and a budding superstar for the Indiana Pacers in Tyrese Haliburton. Their were great performances on both sides but the difference maker proved to be Anthony Davis who showed why when he is at his best the Lakers are a major playoff threat. Davis put up his most dominant performance of the season so far as he had 41 points 20 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks. The Lakers were able to pull away in the 4th to win the inaugural in-season tournament with a 123-109 victory over a very talented Pacers team.
Lebron put yet another trophy on the shelf as he won In-Season Tournament MVP after putting up a 24 point, 11 rebound, and 4 assist performance help lead the Lakers to victory. After the game, Lebron spoke about how special winning the first ever In-Season Tournament stating "This is the [inaugural] in-season tournament. ... Records will be broken, but one thing that will never be broken is to be the first to do something. And we're the first champions of the in-season tournament, and nobody can ever top that, and it's great to do it with a historical franchise and just a great cast of funny, engaged, competitive men over here."
The Lakers were able to play to their advantage to defeat the Pacers as their size and strength was able to smother the Pacers and not allow Haliburton to have the same impact he had in previous games. Despite not being able to make a single three pointer in the first half, the Lakers were able to stay ahead of a great offensive team in the Pacers through their 86-44 edge in points in the paint.
With a series of impressive tournament wins the Lakers have now won 4 games in a row and have an opportunity to build momentum off their tournament win as they currently sit at the fifth seed in the West.
Has Tyrese Haliburton established himself as the best guard in the East?
Though the Tournament did not end the way Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers would have liked it still served as an amazing showcase for a team and a budding superstar who deserve more recognition. The tournament not only established itself as an event but gave young talented teams the chance to experience a playoff atmosphere which certain players thrive off and Haliburton certainly did that. No player's stock has risen higher than Haliburton who not only has established himself as a superstar for his performance on a big stage and throughout this season but also showcased why he is the best guard in the East. In his seven tournament games, he led all players who made it to the final with an average of 26.7 points per game on 52.4% shooting, and had 13.3 assists per contest. In those games, Haliburton matched up with some of the best guards in the East such as Damian Lillard, Tyrese Maxey, and Jrue Holiday but outplayed all of them and led the Pacers to the In-Season tournament championship.
Indiana head coach spoke highly of his star guard stating, “He was completely unfazed by the limelight and it brought his game to a higher level (during tournament games). Like Reggie Miller, he’s very similar to him. Body type stature, personality, and just overall character. He wants the responsibility for winning and losing. And he wants it unconditionally, and that’s special.” Haliburton's success in the limelight is exactly what makes a player a superstar and his continued individual excellence along with how he makes his teammates better is what sets him apart as the best guard in the East right now.
Pelicans Tournament run ends in disappointment: Do they need more from Zion?
The In-Season tournament showcased several great performances from young players making the most of their time in the spotlight. Unfortunately, the New Orleans Pelicans were not able to get the same effort from their their star forward as Zion Williamson put forth subpar effort and a poor overall game. The Pelicans fell in the semifinal to the eventual In-Season Tournament champion Lakers by 44 points in a disappointing loss. However, even more disappointing was Williamson who spoke candidly about his game in the post game press conference. "I got to be better," Williamson said. "I got to be more aggressive finding my shot. I got to do more things to get my team going. I think I was too laid-back tonight."
Zion made it clear that the Pelicans need more from him as his 13 points along with his -33 plus/minus is simply not good enough for a player of his talent. It all starts, with what he does off the court as his preparation and physical conditioning has to improve for both Zion and the Pelicans to fully realize their potential together. Overall, Zion is still having an All-Star caliber season averaging 22.2 points and 5.6 rebound on 57.4% from the field but at 12-11 the Pelicans are more talented than their record and tournament semifinal performance showed.
Game of the week- Tyrese Haliburton shines in primetime with 27 points, 15 assists and closes the game out by hitting a huge three pointer to seal the victory for the Pacers in the In-Season tournament semifinal. Giannis drops a game-high 37 points in the loss.
Comentarios