Latest news with #Haliburton
Indianapolis Star
14 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
'Pack y'all up': Tyrese Haliburton responds to Ben Stiller after Pacers beat Knicks to reach NBA Finals
The Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks wasn't always nice among fans, but it was respectful on the court and along the sidelines. (Though Pat McAfee vs. John Mellencamp got a little sideways.) Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton arrived at Saturday night's Game 6 in all black, prompting many to guess that he was attending the Knicks' funeral for the season. He also carried a bag, catching the eye of Knicks superfan and actor/director Ben Stiller. "Good thing he brought his duffel for the flight to NY," Stiller posted on social media. After the Pacers' 125-108 win sent them to the NBA Finals vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder, Haliburton responded. "Nah, was to pack y'all up," he posted. Maybe someday they will get past this and Stiller will put Haliburton in a movie. 'New blueprint': Inside Pacers' unconventional path to NBA Finals
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Knicks vs. Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton takes swipe at Ben Stiller after Indiana bounces New York from playoffs
Tyrese Haliburton got the win and the last word. Check back in 25 or 30 years to see if the barbs Haliburton and actor/director Ben Stiller exchanged during the Eastern Conference finals will have the enduring memory of the feud between Reggie Miller and Spike Lee. But in the culture of 2025, the Indiana Pacers star scored a strong final zinger against the New York Knicks superfan. Advertisement Prior to Saturday's Game 6 matchup, a clip of Haliburton arriving at the Pacers' home arena of Gainbridge Fieldhouse circulated online. The two-time All-Star cut an imposing figure walking down a corridor dressed all in black, referencing the Knicks doing the same before last year's Game 6 playoff matchup. But in response to the video, Stiller focused on the duffel bag Haliburton was carrying. "Good thing he brought his duffel for the flight to NY," Stiller quipped. It was a good line from Stiller, implying that the Knicks would win Game 6 and send the series back to Madison Square Garden for a decisive Game 7. But it rang hollow approximately six hours later when the Pacers won, 125-108, and eliminated New York from the NBA playoffs. Advertisement After scoring 21 points with 13 assists, Haliburton responded while celebrating Indiana's victory. "Nah, was to pack y'all up," he replied, following up an on-court win with a social media win. Stiller showed he was a good sport and no hard feelings lingered, wishing Haiburton and the Pacers well in their NBA Finals matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. "Congrats," he said. "All the best in OKC." So will Haliburton start trading digs with any celebrity Thunder fans during the NBA Finals? Maybe with legendary WWE broadcaster Jim Ross? Is "Saturday Night Live" alum and "Barry" star Bill Hader on social media? Would sniping back and forth with actor James Marsden bring the same juice? Perhaps an opponent will rise once the NBA Finals begin on Thursday.
New York Post
an hour ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Tyrese Haliburton claps back at Ben Stiller after sending Knicks packing from playoffs
Ben Stiller talked his trash and paid the price. The actor and die-hard Knicks fan joked before Game 6 that Tyrese Haliburton 'brought his duffel for the flight to NY' after seeing footage of the Pacers point guard dressed in all black. After the Pacers eliminated the Knicks with a 125-108 win, Haliburton clapped back. 'Nah, was to pack y'all up,' Haliburton posted on X in response to Stiller. Indeed, it was likely a long night for Stiller, who was a regular at Knicks playoff games throughout the team's run, though he did not appear to make the trip for Game 6 after doing so for Game 4. Haliburton's clapback was well-earned. He outplayed counterpart Jalen Brunson in Saturday's Game 6, putting up 21 points with 13 assists, much of it coming in the second half when the Pacers broke the game open. 3 Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton celebrates during the team's Game 6 Eastern Conference finals win over the Knicks on May 31, 2025. Getty Images 3 Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) greets Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) after Indiana's Game 6 win to clinch the Eastern Conference finals on May 31, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Brunson, meanwhile, was locked up by Andrew Nembhard after a masterful adjustment by Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. The Knicks' leading man scored 19 but was 8-for-18 from the field and never got going with the season on the line. After Haliburton beat out Brunson for a spot on the Olympic team last year, he justified that controversial decision in this series. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. Haliburton, who flashed the choke sign after the Knicks blew Game 1 of the series, became a villain at Madison Square Garden this series as a result — a status only enhanced now by taking on one of the Garden's most recognizable celebrities. The Pacers will face the Thunder in the NBA Finals, the first time Indiana has played for a championship since 2000, when it lost to the Lakers. 3 Ben Stiller (r.) with Timothée Chalamet (l.) and Kylie Jenner (r.) during Knicks-Pacers Game 5 on May 29, 2025. Getty Images The Pacers have never won an NBA title. The Thunder technically won in 1979 when they were the Seattle Supersonics, but haven't done so since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008. Game 1 is Thursday at 8:30 p.m. in Oklahoma City and will air on ABC.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Looking back at the 2 matchups between Thunder, Pacers before 2025 NBA Finals
Looking back at the 2 matchups between Thunder, Pacers before 2025 NBA Finals A few days after they punched their ticket, the Oklahoma City Thunder finally learned their 2025 NBA Finals opponent. The Indiana Pacers blew out the New York Knicks in a 125-108 Game 6 win to set up this year's championship series. The Thunder dominated their way to the NBA Finals. They went 12-4 against the West playoffs with mostly double-digit point wins. They beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the Western Conference Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was given the Western Conference Finals MVP. Meanwhile, the Pacers got hot at the right time. A few late-game heroics paired with a high-scoring offense have catapulted them to the NBA Finals. Tyrese Haliburton has stepped up as one of the best playoff players. Pascal Siakam was given the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. In their season series, the Thunder took both meetings against the Pacers. Let's look back at all four contests as they prepare to battle it out in the 2025 NBA Finals: Dec. 26, 2024: Thunder 120, Pacers 114 The day after Christmas, the Thunder and Pacers showed why the NBA should've scheduled them for the holiday slate. The Thunder survived a slow start that saw them fall into a double-digit deficit. But then they rattled off three straight 30-point quarters to complete the impressive road victory. Gilgeous-Alexander was unstoppable with an efficient 45 points. He shot 11-of-11 on free throws as Indiana couldn't slow him down. Williams helped out with a blue-collar 20 points on 8-of-22 shooting. Hartenstein and Dort were OKC's other two double-digit scorers. Meanwhile, Haliburton had a quiet four points. Siakam and Nembhard each scored 20-plus points, but that's exactly what the Thunder wanted to see as Indiana's best player was turned into just a playmaker. They still shot a decent percentage from the outside at nearly 39%. This is a very replicable game plan for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander should continue his dominance. They can also limit Haliburton's scoring. It'll be interesting to see how Holmgren looks with OKC, though. Wallace was the fifth starter. A full recap can be read here. Mar. 29, 2025: Thunder 132, Pacers 111 After a close first quarter, the Thunder blew this game open in the middle frames with a combined 73 points. It was another classic OKC contest where it suddenly blew the scoreboard open with a humongous run fueled by its turnover-happy defense. Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 33 points. He was busy at the free-throw line with a 10-of-12 performance. Williams had an efficient 18 points. Plenty of Thunder role players stepped up. Dort had 22 points, Joe had 19 points, Wallace had 14 points and Kenrich Williams had 10 points. Meanwhile, Haliburton was quiet again with just 18 points. He was Indiana's top scorer. It only shot 33% from deep. This was a forgettable game for them. They need better from their starters. Meanwhile, for the Thunder, this could be a perfect formula to get one of their four wins. If the role players can step up and go on an avalanche run, expect there to be at least one blowout win for OKC in this series. It's happened so far in every playoff series. A full recap can be read here.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Pacers vs. Thunder 2025 NBA Finals preview: X-Factors, matchups, prediction
Pacers vs. Thunder 2025 NBA Finals preview: X-Factors, matchups, prediction A few days after they punched their ticket, the Oklahoma City Thunder finally learned their 2025 NBA Finals opponent. The Indiana Pacers blew out the New York Knicks in a 125-108 Game 6 win to set up this year's championship series. The Thunder dominated their way to the NBA Finals. They went 12-4 against the West playoffs with mostly double-digit point wins. They beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the Western Conference Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was given the Western Conference Finals MVP. Meanwhile, the Pacers got hot at the right time. A few late-game heroics paired with a high-scoring offense have catapulted them to the NBA Finals. Tyrese Haliburton has stepped up as one of the best playoff players. Pascal Siakam was given the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. Before the series starts with Game 1 from Paycom Center on Thursday, Thunder Wire will preview the series and break down matchups, X-factors and pencil in a series prediction for the first-round matchup: Can SGA continue his dominace After a slow start, Gilgeous-Alexander has played like an MVP winner in the playoffs. He's averaged 29.8 points on 47.1% shooting, 6.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds. Just a slight decrease from his regular-season numbers, which is expected, adjusted to postseason intensity. Against the Pacers this past season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 39 points on 55.6% shooting, eight assists and seven rebounds in two wins. Easy to say that this should be an NBA Finals matchup that could stamp the 26-year-old into one of the all-time greats. Indiana doesn't possess any perimeter defender who can slow him down. No offense to the Pacers, but Gilgeous-Alexander was still a machine through the West's gauntlet. Considering Jalen Brunson picked apart their defense and a lesser version of the MVP winner as a drive-heavy scorer who can get hot with his jumper, this should be a series where he should easily average an efficient 30-plus points. How the Thunder's 3-headed POA monster defend Haliburton The Pacers run their offense through Haliburton. He's averaged 18.8 points on 46.6% shooting, 9.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds in the playoffs. That's led the NBA in assists during the postseason. He orchestrates the ball movement, but Indiana has plenty of other viable scoring options. Against similar players and archetypes, the Thunder have been excellent at limiting high-usage guards in the playoffs. Ja Morant, Jamal Murray and Anthony Edwards were blanketed throughout their respective playoff series against OKC, sans a few breakout games. That's the benefit of Lu Dort, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace. All three are high-end defenders who will be glued to Haliburton. There won't be a single second in the entire playoff series that at least one of those three guys won't share the floor with Indiana's All-Star. If the Thunder can fade Haliburton into the background and force others like Andrew Nembhard to step up as the primary ball-handler, that'll play right into what they want to do as the league's best defense. Can Hartenstein stay on the floor You saw leaks of it against the Timberwolves. Hartenstein's playing time slowly dwindled. To the point he was benched in the second half in favor of small-ball lineups. But the Thunder managed to win the series without ever shaking up their starting lineup. The Hartenstein-Holmgren lineup was a weapon against the Grizzlies and Nuggets, but struggled against Minnesota. It's remained a slight positive, but lineup data suggest OKC's best lineup is when Chet Holmgren is the sole center. Let's see if the Pacers' five-out offense can force the Thunder to change starters. Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner are a talented enough frontcourt that could force Hartenstein to defend in space. The bruiser big is uncomfortable when asked to defend the perimeter. If the Pacers move the ball quickly enough and hit on their outside looks, the Thunder could pivot. They're willing to concede outside looks and trust their perimeter defenders to rotate and close out, but that strategy could bite OKC if Indiana's role players bury them on the scoreboard. Who will be the better second option After being on shaky ground in the middle of the Denver series, Jalen Williams has been a bona fide second option. He shut up any doubters with an excellent West Finals. He averaged 22.2 points on 49.4% shooting, 6.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Pair that with stonewall defense, he was the second-best player in that series. If Williams can carry that over to the NBA Finals, that'll ensure the Thunder win the championship. The All-Star can bulldoze his way to the basket for either layups or free throws. He can also get into a groove with his jumper. On the other end, expect Williams to be Siakam's primary defender. The former NBA champion has been a playoff riser. He had three 30-point outings against the Knicks that won him the East Finals MVP award in an upset. If Williams can take him down to his regular-season numbers, Indiana won't have anybody else to go to that can get their own buckets. Daigneault in rare experience disadvantage against Carlisle For the first time in all playoffs, Daigneault enters as the freshly-faced rookie. He coached against two interim coaches in the first two rounds with Tuomas Iisalo and David Adelman. And while Chris Finch was in last year's Western Conference Finals, that didn't matter as OKC was a buzzsaw against Minnesota. But Rick Carlisle is on a different level. He's been an NBA head coach since 2001. This will be his second NBA Finals. He was the Dallas Mavericks' head coach when they upset the Miami Heat in 2011. The 65-year-old hopes history repeats itself. Besides a few blips, Daigneault has made the right decisions in the playoffs. Let's see if the national spotlight and the highest stakes possible in a basketball game will change that. Meanwhile, Carlisle should know what to expect at this point in the year. X-factor: Chet Holmgren This is kinda a cop-out, but Holmgren didn't play in either matchup against the Pacers. He was out for the post-Christmas date with a hip fracture and also missed the second game in late March. But considering he's played better the deeper the Thunder have progressed in the playoffs, it's fair to say he completely changes the dynamics. Holmgren's defense speaks for itself. The Pacers will have him in mind anytime they drive to the basket. The seven-footer will cause plenty of kick-outs to the perimeter. He's the perfect foil to Turner, too. He can hold his own on the perimeter if needed and limit his outside attempts. If the Thunder needs to abandon the double-big lineup, Holmgren will be the lone center. The data suggests they're at their best with him at the five. The Pacers don't have a counter. He'll be quick enough on his feet to avoid being hunted out and has the wingspan to recover. The Thunder will get an early advantage with Holmgren. The Pacers have zero relevant film from this season against him. That means it'll be a couple of games before they can rationally conjure up counters. Until then, though, OKC should feed him the ball early in the post or transition. Series prediction Laying everything out, it's very easy to understand why the Thunder are viewed as the title favorite. They had one of the greatest regular seasons ever with a 68-14 record. That dominance has carried over to the playoffs, besides a couple of hiccups. The Thunder are just on another level. That's been the case all season long. From the top to the bottom, they stack up well against the Pacers. No offense to Indiana, but it's closer to the Grizzlies than the Nuggets. They deserve credit for getting this far. This is only their second NBA Finals appearance in franchise history and first since 2000. They got hot at the right time and showed their grit with a few comebacks and close wins in their playoff journey But OKC is a machine. It made the bloodbath Western Conference look like a swimming pool. They're in the same company as some of the greatest teams ever and should join that NBA pantheon with a championship, barring one of the most surprising upsets in sports history. Prediction: Thunder in 5
