"Storybook ending" - Tyrese Haliburton is amped to play against 'final boss' LeBron James in NBA In-Season Tournament Finals

The stage is set for a showdown between Tyrese Haliburton and LeBron James as they lead their teams to the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament Finals. After beating the Milwaukee Bucks, Haliburton has shown his growth as a star in the league and how ready he is to play against the top stars.

Haliburton was stellar last night as he had 27 points, seven rebounds and 15 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers to victory. On top of that, he didn't have a single turnover in the game. This marks his fourth game where he finished with double digits in assists and no turnover.

As they prepare for the championship round, Haliburton was asked by reporters how he feels about getting a chance to play against the "final boss" of the tournament. The one-time NBA star shared his excitement to play against his favorite player.

"Like any kid born in 2000, LeBron was my favorite player growing up, it's hard for him not to be for a lot of us," Haliburton said. "Growing up, I was a Cavs fan, Heat fan and a Cavs fan again, and a Lakers fan before I got drafted.

"To be able to complete against him in a championship is kinda like a storybook ending a little bit and it's going to be a lot of fun. the great thing about the NBA is being able to compete against your idols on a nightly basis.

"I really look forward to that."

Haliburton was also asked about what he feels now that his team has reached the final stage.

"We're not supposed to be here, and nobody expected us to be here. We've been probably looked at to lose majority of our tournament games. The Philly game, we weren't supposed to win. Boston game, we defintely weren't supposed to win, Milwaukee we definitely weren't supposed to win.

"That's just been part of the story book of this and it's been a lot of fun. But it's not done yet."

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Tyrese Haliburton wants other stars to play with him in Indiana

Tyrese Haliburton has been special this season. His improvement has been obvious as he has single-handedly led the Pacers regularly, especially in the NBA In-Season Tournament.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the star point guard is using this tournament to hopefully recruit stars to play with him. He's done a remarkable job of getting people to believe in what he can do since the entire league is talking about him and his team.

If the Pacers win against the Lakers, there's a significant chance that the stars would want to play alongside Haliburton next season.