Oshkosh native Tyrese Haliburton was hearing MVP chants during virtuoso performance as Pacers defeated Celtics

If the Milwaukee Bucks defeat the New York Knicks in the In-Season Tournament quarterfinal Tuesday, they'll head to Las Vegas to take on the Indiana Pacers in the semifinals of the showcase, and Wisconsin native Tyrese Haliburton will be waiting. Given what he did Monday while battling the flu, a healthy Haliburton sounds like a terrifying prospect.

The Oshkosh native Haliburton, an all-star last year, is off to a torrid start in 2023-24, so much that he's already hearing chants of MVP in his home arena. He registered his first career triple-double in the 122-112 win over Boston at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and he did it all while battling the flu that had kept him out of a game against Miami two nights earlier. He had been questionable to play against Boston but said there was no doubt in his mind he would take the floor against the Celtics.

Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel captured the scene, indicating that Haliburton used an inhaler at halftime for the first time in his life to combat his symptoms.

"And then came the third quarter, when Haliburton scored or assisted on 24 of the Pacers’ first 27 points," Doyel wrote. "By the time Haliburton was finished driving and setting up teammates or hitting floaters or crossing over Jrue Holiday and swishing 3-pointers over him as the crowd exhaled – whooooo – a 55-48 deficit at halftime had become an 85-74 Pacers lead at the end of the third quarter."

Haliburton, playing in his first nationally televised TNT game, finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, and he's elevated beyond all-star status to something greater.

He's averaging 27 points and a league-best 11.9 assists, all while shooting 52% from the field, 44.7% on three-pointers and 88.1% at the free-throw line. The Pacers average 128.6 points per game, tracking ahead of the NBA season scoring record set in 1982 (126.5).

“I think the city’s starting to rally around this team,” Pacers big man Myles Turner said. “They’ve got the MVP right before their very eyes. It’s dope to see this franchise from where it (was) to what it’s becoming. … Ty came here and took over.”

It wasn't just the local media that noticed Haliburton's incredible showing. The Ringer's Danny Chau wrote, "Tyrese Haliburton Just Made the NBA In-Season Tournament a Thing."

Chau opened on a moment with 1:33 remaining, when Haliburton broke a tie with a four-point play that ignited a decisive 9-0 run for the Pacers.

"When he was growing up, Haliburton’s lack of strength compromised his form — he needed to dip the ball down to his knees to create enough leverage to shoot," Chau wrote. "To adapt to higher levels of the game, he’d torture himself with Mikan drills right around the basket, instilling muscle memory to keep the ball above his shoulders. From there, he had the mechanisms to aim and fire, eliminating the dip by keeping the ball high as a starting point on his shot. Over the years, he’s found new ways of getting the ball into his pocket — sometimes even allowing a dribble to bound up directly into his shooting motion — with a quick release of the ball occurring before the apex of his jump. It’s not for everyone, but it works for him. It’s beautiful, if only in its specific economy of motion."

Chau compared it to Stephen Curry's own origin story.

The Athletic and CBS Sports wrote their own versions of the Haliburton showcase.

You won't find Haliburton among those with the best early odds to win the MVP, with two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokić of Denver still given the benefit of the doubt. Plus, the Pacers are only 11-8 after beating Boston and have a ton of work to cement a comfortable spot in the playoff picture.

But the performance gives Haliburton another feather in his cap, and the Pacers' exciting brand of basketball is sure to attract more attention as the season unfolds.