Tyrese Haliburton and Pacers Winning NBA Title Will Vindicate Malice at the Palace Fame Metta Sandiford-Artest

Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers have surprised everyone by taking a 2-1 lead against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Tyrese Haliburton and Pacers Winning NBA Title Will Vindicate Malice at the Palace Fame Metta Sandiford-Artest

Metta Sandiford-Artest wants Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers to win NBA title (Image via FirstSportz)

Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers are a couple of games short of winning the franchise’s first-ever NBA title. They are in a unique position as the underdogs and are taking the fight to the league-best Oklahoma City Thunder with confidence.

Even though they are in the lead, if they win Game 4 tomorrow, they will stand at 3-1, a lead that 95% of the time ends up with the leading team winning. If that were to happen, it would be the best possible outcome for a team that has been creating and building its squad over the years to reach this situation.

Other than the Paul George-led squad, in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, the franchise was one of the best teams in the East. Even though Reggie Miller‘s teams reached the NBA Finals, the best chance they had was in the 2004-05 season.

A member of that team, forward Metta Sandiford-Artest, was speaking with Warriors star Draymond Green on his podcast to talk about the Pacers and why he wants them to win the franchise’s first-ever title.

I want to see them win bad, because I feel like when I was here, we probably should’ve won if I had kept my head on straight. If they win this title, it takes the whole burden off my back.

Metta Sandiford-Artest said

He was referring to the infamous Malice at the Palace brawl in November 2004. Had that incident not happened, his East-best team could have won the NBA title. Since then, he has felt the pain of the fans’ hatred towards him. That is why he is hoping the Pacers win, as it will vindicate him.

Metta Sandiford-Artest believes current Pacers play a lot like the Pistons he fought

When Metta Sandiford-Artest and his Indiana Pacers teammates brawled against the Detroit Pistons, it was more about the ego of who among them was the best. The Pistons defeated the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals the previous season and went on to win the NBA title.

Metta Sandiford-Artest and his 2004-05 Pacers were good enough to win the title
Metta Sandiford-Artest and his 2004-05 Pacers were good enough to win the title (Image via NBA/X)

That was despite the Pacers finishing as the best team in the East, yet they could not outplay the second-placed Pistons. In the 2004-05 season, the Pacers wanted to prove who was better, and that played a major part in the brawl. Now, two decades later, Sandiford-Artest believes the current Pacers are similar to the Pistons he brawled.

They remind me of the Detroit Pistons team, in terms of playing together, not making mistakes, and no real superstar.

Metta Sandiford-Artest said

The NBA champion believes the current Indiana Pacers play unselfish basketball and do not have the qualms of a superstar-laden team. That is what he believes will help Tyrese Haliburton and his crew get over the line and win the title.

Former champion Paul Pierce believes unselfishness is driving the Pacers

Metta Sandiford-Artest’s logic of comparing the current Indiana Pacers to the 2004 championship-winning Detroit Pistons is based on the unselfish, team-first style of play they resort to. Another former champion, Paul Pierce, believes that is what is helping them defeat the Thunder.

What’s the goal? What are we trying to accomplish here? People talk about winning, but are they willing to do the necessary things to help them win, or is it more about them? I don’t see that about Haliburton. He just wants to win.

Paul Pierce said on The Herd

Pierce feels the Pacers as a collective unit are executing their game plan perfectly. Tyrese Haliburton is not a great defender, which is why head coach Rick Carlisle does not plant him on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Instead, he sends 4-5 players to bump and grind the league MVP. That tactic worked wonders in Game 3.

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