Shaq offers Tyrese Haliburton apology after doubting ‘killer instinct’ ahead of Game 2 win against Knicks

Shaquille O’Neal apologised to Tyrese Haliburton for doubting his ‘focus’ heading into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Indiana Pacers returned to Madison Square Garden on Friday night after securing a stunning 138-13 comeback win against the New York Knicks in their first meeting.

Haliburton sparked wild scenes with the tying basket in Game 1Credit: Getty
‘Clutch king’ Haliburton hit a shot on the buzzer to send that game to overtime, after the Pacers had been down by 14 with three minutes to go.

That moment sparked wild scenes, before Indiana went on to complete their comeback in overtime.

Ahead of Game 2, Shaq referenced those celebrations and some of Haliburton’s interviews that followed, scolding him for ‘laughing and giggling’ instead of being focused on ‘taking care of business’.

“I love this kid, I want him to be in ‘killer mode’ all the time,” the NBA legend, who last week left his co-hosts in stitches as he was unaware of expanding $ 00m business empire, said.

“I don’t like all that smiling, job’s not done yet. It’s an interesting point — are they going to have that killer instinct, or are they going to be happy?

“At this point in the season, you get anxious and excited. You’ve got a win, and you’re saying to yourself, ‘three more games and you get to the Finals.’

“So while you’re saying to yourself that you’re happy, you’re also saying, ‘I’m coming to take care of business.’

“You hit the shot (in Game 1), but all that laughing and giggling, I don’t like that. I want him to be focused, be serious and have that killer instinct.”

Haliburton, though, silenced Shaq and any other doubters with another strong performance as the Pacers took victory in Game 2.

Teammate Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 39 points to lead Indiana to a 114-109 win.

The Pacers picked up a win in Game 2 after Shaq doubted their mentalityCredit: Getty

Shaq offered Haliburton an apology after his pre-game commentsCredit: Getty

Haliburton and the Pacers have taken a 2-0 lead in the East FinalsCredit: Getty
Haliburton added 14 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to ensure the Pacers are now headed home with a 2-0 series lead, halfway to a chance to play for an elusive NBA title.

Post-game, Shaq took a moment to apologise to for the comments he made about the 2 -year-old’s mentality.

“Tyrese… I owe you an apology,” he began, days after appearing stunned by Haliburton channelling Reggie Miller.

“During an interview, it looked like a bit too much giggling for me. I was like, ‘I want these guys to be serious’ and you guys were serious.”

Haliburton, who raised his eyebrows as Shaq made the apology, broke down Indiana’s mindset for Game 2.

“After you take a game like Game 1, you understand that they’re going to come in a little frustrated, they probably don’t feel like they should have lost Game 1,” he said.

Haliburton raised his eyebrows as Shaq delivered his apologyCredit: NBA on TNT
“We knew they were going to amp up the physicality, and play with some pace.

“But the biggest thing for us as a group was, ‘Don’t wait for them to throw the first punch, let’s throw the first punch and then roll from there’.

“I think we did a good job of that, and are doing a good job of locking in, taking it play by play and quarter by quarter.”

The Pacers host the Knicks in Game 3 of the East Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday night.