Source: Dylan Buell / Getty
Tyrese Haliburton’s eyes were fixed on the box score placed on the table in front of him for the majority of the five-minute press conference following Monday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With point guard T.J. McConnell sitting to his left and the one to answer the first two questions, it felt like a lot more was lost than just one regular-season game. Instead, it had the feel of a season-ending loss, even though it was far from that.
Frustration was obvious. Voices were quiet and trembling. Concern was in the air.
Without three starters due to injury, including All-Star Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs (43-25) departed Gainbridge Fieldhouse with a win despite scoring 108 points — almost six points below their average this season.
They are now 0-14 this season when failing to score at least 110 points.
Some of the comments made from Haliburton and McConnell post-game are below:
“We can’t make excuses for ourselves,” said McConnell, the team’s most consistent player since the All-Star break. He contributed 14 points, three rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes.
“We just got to keep trying to keep generating those type of 3s and just trying to generate good offense because when we got through the lulls where we don’t score, we put a lot of pressure on our defense.”
“I play better (and) we win so I’m just trying to figure it out right now,” Haliburton said. “Obviously it’s frustrating.”
To read the full story from Monday’s loss and the players full comments subscribe to Fieldhouse Files with Scott Agness.
Scott Agness is in his 12th season as a beat writer covering the Indiana Pacers. Click here to read more of his work at FieldhouseFiles.com.
