‘He’s not Jerry West…’ Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo slams Tyrese Haliburton’s national broadcast criticism
· Yahoo Sports
Tyrese Haliburton complained that his return from an Achilles tear isn’t a nationally broadcast NBA game, and the Mad Dog isn’t having any of it.
The last time fans saw Haliburton on a basketball court was during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, where he had gone a scorching 3-for-4 from deep and looked like he was going to complete one of the unlikeliest NBA championship runs of all time.
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However, an Achilles tear took Haliburton out of the game, and the Indiana Pacers ultimately lost to the OKC Thunder. Now, after 17 months, Haliburton will return against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Photo by Larry French/Getty Images for SiriusXM,Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo slams Tyrese Haliburton for ridiculous national television complaint
Speaking on First Take, legendary New York sports radio host Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo went off on Tyrese Haliburton for saying he was shocked his return game wasn’t going to be nationally televised.
Russo went on to discredit Haliburton as a player and as a figure in the NBA, and suggested that he and the Pacers aren’t at the level to warrant a nationally televised game on opening week.
“Haliburton, he’s not Jerry West. He gets on a podcast, and he says he was shocked that ‘my opener is not on national television?’
“Are you serious? An Indiana team that won 15 games? You didn’t win a championship two years ago! You lost! Well, he got hurt, but they wouldn’t have won that game probably, anyway.
“But I was shocked. Maybe he said it in jest. I didn’t hear the podcast. But the idea that somehow he thinks that the basketball nation, with San Antonio, SGA, LeBron in Philly, and the Knicks winning a championship, and the new-look Celtics.
“You mean to sit there and tell me you think you’re on that level that your opening game against the Pelicans could be on national television? I mean, come on! First off, who cares?! You aren’t going to play 75 games.
“Secondly, you are not on that level of a player, where you’re an iconic figure the world pays attention to, and your brand. You haven’t won a championship; you haven’t played 30 years.
“Why? Because you hit a ball that went 50 feet in the air and went through the net against the Knicks a couple of years ago? I was shocked that he thought his opening game after tearing his Achilles should be nationally televised.”
Chris Russo has made a brand out of being a fairly snide and sarcastic individual, so his response to Haliburton shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Nor should it come as a surprise that he admitted to not hearing Haliburton’s podcast appearance, as he would have heard that Haliburton also expressed confusion about his return game being on the road.
For Russo to suggest Haliburton isn’t a big star is ridiculous, especially considering what Haliburton did during these previous two seasons in the playoffs.
Haliburton was one of the key stars for the Pacers, as he led them to back-to-back conference finals appearances, and even took them to the NBA Finals.
In the NBA Finals, Haliburton hit several clutch shots to shock the OKC Thunder, who were the overwhelming favourites to win the championship, and pushed them to a Game 7.
Haliburton’s run to the playoffs was marked by immense clutch shots and helped the NBA generate strong viewership numbers after years of declining TV ratings.
Chris Russo has almost entirely built his television persona around being a loud and vocal critic of the current generation of NBA stars, so this shouldn’t shock anyone.
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