Tyrese Haliburton led the Indiana Pacers to a massive Game 3 win on Wednesday night to take a 2-1 lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. Afterwards, he played good defense against Charles Barkley.

Haliburton, who recorded a 22-point, 11-assist double-double against OKC, appeared on the NBA TV postgame show after the final buzzer. Barkley was there as a temporary add-on now that TNT is done broadcasting the NBA. Barkley asked Haliburton why Pascal Siakam was inconsistent in how aggressive he is; Siakam had 21 points in Game 3 after managing only 15 in Game 2's loss.

Haliburton stepped up for his teammate and politely told the NBA Hall of Famer why he believed he was wrong to say that about Siakam.

"What is the deal with Siakam?" Barkley asked. "Why does he go from passive to aggressive game-to-game? Because he was fantastic tonight... Why is he so up-and-down as far as being aggressive?"

"I don't think that's a fair assessment, to be honest with you," Haliburton replied. "The way that they guard, he operates so well in the mid-post, but you got to understand when he's catching it in the mid-post they're talking about rotating the guy fully from the baseline. They've just got hands and they're swarming the ball. We're just trying to make reads and play the right way."

"Thought he did a great job operating today," Haliburton continued. "It's hard when you catch it at the nail, where he really likes to operate, the way they guard is just boxes and elbows. We've got to do a much better job of giving him the correct spacing and just figuring it out. From game-to-game, just taking what the defense gives you, I thought he did a great job just setting the tone and we just followed his lead."

A very reasonable explanation, and a fascinating one at that. It's not often we get a glimpse inside the mind of a top NBA point guard.

Above all it's clear Haliburton won't be hearing any criticism directed towards his teammates when he's got the mic.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tyrese Haliburton Defends Teammate Against Charles Barkley Criticism After Game 3.

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