Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was so enthusiastic about Indiana’s unbelievable time beyond regulation rally that he did not notice what led to the postgame scuffle between his teammates and the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday evening.
Then he received to the locker room, watched the replay and winced when he noticed his father, John, on the courtroom, confronting two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“I had no concept it occurred till I received again to the locker room they usually confirmed me the video of my pops,” the two-time All-Star mentioned after he made the decisive layup with 1.3 seconds left to provide Indiana a 119-118 victory and a 4-1 collection win.
“We had a bit of speak about it. I do not agree with what transpired there. I believe basketball is basketball and let’s preserve it on the courtroom. I believe he simply received excited.”
Antetokounmpo wasn’t happy, both, after his group blew a seven-point lead within the last 40 seconds of time beyond regulation, sending the Bucks to their third straight first-round exit. The 2-time MVP did not acknowledge John Haliburton, considering he was simply one other fan who had run onto the courtroom.
Antetokounmpo mentioned he likes Haliburton, calling him an excellent competitor, however he mentioned John Haliburton displaying a towel along with his son’s picture whereas yelling “that is what we (expletive) do” was fallacious.
“I really feel like that’s very, very disrespectful,” mentioned Antetokounmpo, who completed with 30 factors, 20 rebounds and 13 assists.
Haliburton appeared genuinely upset in regards to the incident, promising to achieve out to Antetokounmpo earlier than the groups play once more.
“I’ll discuss to Giannis about it will definitely,” mentioned Haliburton, who grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. “I don’t suppose my pops was in the appropriate in any respect there. It’s unlucky what occurred on the finish there.
“It’s unlucky what occurred there (the scuffle), however I believe it’s simply competitors,” he added. “So far as my pops, I don’t agree with what occurred there. We’ll have a dialog.”
Antetokounmpo informed a narrative in regards to the Bucks’ 2020-21 championship season, when his mom attended each recreation from mid-February by means of the title run. The Greek celebrity mentioned his mother wasn’t even certain whether or not she may come onto the courtroom to hug him on the finish of the ultimate recreation and famous that his members of the family usually do not sit courtside.
The Pacers and Bucks have met 20 instances over the previous two seasons, with the Pacers successful eight of 11 playoff video games and each postseason collection in an more and more heated rivalry.
Reporting by The Related Press.
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