Stephen A. Smith’s ESPN colleague and Paul Pierce unite in criticism of his Tyrese Haliburton take

The Indiana Pacers made a big statement in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday.

They hit the ground running with a 43-point first quarter, and, unlike what happened in every other game of the series, they managed to hold on to that lead. The Pacers executed down the stretch to secure a 130-121 win.

Tyrese Haliburton had perhaps the best performance of his career, recording 32 points, 12 rebounds, 15 assists, five 3-pointers and zero turnovers.

ESPN analyst Jay Williams took a subtle jab at Stephen A. Smith for saying that Haliburton wasn't a superstar.

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"If you're not waking up today, Wednesday, May 28th, saying that Tyrese Haliburton is a superstar, don't talk to me about basketball," Williams said on Wednesday, via 'Get Up.' "Possession by possession, he's the best manipulator in the game."

Former NBA champion Paul Pierce doubled down on Williams' take, sarcastically wondering whether Haliburton was a superstar or just doing a great job of passing as one.

"is Hali a super star if not he sure is doing a great job imitating one," Pierce tweeted

Smith said that he couldn't bring himself to put Haliburton in the same category of legendary floor generals, like Chris Paul and other Hall of Famers. He also mentioned that wasn't ready to add Haliburton in the "superstar" category just yet.

“We said Chris Paul is a superstar right," Smith said on Tuesday, via 'First Take.' "The Gary Paytons, Isaiah Thomas’ Jason Kidd’s of the world, the Magic Johnson’s, the John Stockton’s of the world, people like that, you’re not talking about that with somebody like Haliburton."

Tyrese Haliburton is on an incredible run

Tyrese Haliburton has been one of the best players in the league this playoffs.

His averages of 19.4 points, 9.8 assists and 5.9 rebounds might not pop out. However, he's 11 of 12 on game-tying or go-ahead shots in the last two minutes this season. Haliburton also had two game-winners and one buzzer-beater to force overtime.

He's responded to the "overrated" claims by showing up and showing out for all big games. Even when Haliburton is not scoring, he's getting everybody involved with his passing.

The Pacers are one win away from returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000. They've gone 11-3 through the first three rounds of the playoffs, with Haliburton leading the charge for the No. 4-seeded team.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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