The atmosphere at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana for Game 6 between the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks was electric. The home fans were in full voice and one particular individual went viral for wildly heckling Bucks players during the game.
“Lillard, your mom’s watching.”
“Lillard your mom’s watching” 💀 https://t.co/BTvgpK3cS0 pic.twitter.com/qqtDzWPl0N
— 𝐇𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 ✰ (@Hatedzs) May 2, 2024
“Lillard, your tattoos are only decent.”
https://twitter.com/d9Hoops/status/1786171732065144872
“Portis, your eyes are slightly too big for your head.”
https://twitter.com/d9Hoops/status/1786169181949296709
“Middleton, I respect your game but I hope you miss.”
https://twitter.com/d9Hoops/status/1786171318414581934
“Gallinari, you need a haircut.”
https://twitter.com/d9Hoops/status/1786166032396124265
I think the Bobby Portis one was the best of the lot. Portis’ eyes certainly do seem a bit too big to me as well. Khris Middleton was the only one to get some respect from this fan and that was a hilarious line too.
NBA players get heckled all the time when they’re on the road but we normally don’t hear it this clearly. This individual was probably sitting somewhere near the microphones and he might have been instructed to just stop at one point.
While the fan delivered some hearty laughs to everyone who was watching, the Bucks players weren’t in the mood to have a laugh at the end of the game. The Pacers registered a crushing 120-98 win here to win the series in six games.
For the Bucks, Damian Lillard finished with a team-high 28 points, to go with 2 rebounds and 4 assists. He was playing through a right Achilles tendon injury, which had caused him to miss two games, and was clearly not at his best.
As for Portis, he had 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 assists on the night while Middleton recorded 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Brook Lopez also chipped in with 20 points, but with Giannis Antetokounmpo once again being out, their efforts were in vain.
The Bucks have now been eliminated in the first round in back-to-back seasons, with the biggest reason being Antetokounmpo’s health. He missed a couple of games against the Miami Heat with a back problem last year and didn’t even play a game against the Pacers due to a left calf strain.
The Indiana Pacers Won Their First Playoff Series Since 2014
While it was heartbreak for the Bucks on Thursday, it was jubilation for the Pacers. They had missed the playoffs in each of the three seasons before this one and last won a playoff series all the way back in 2014.
The Pacers had made it to the Eastern Conference Finals back then and would be hoping to make it that far once again this time around. Standing in their way are the New York Knicks, who dispatched the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in their first-round series.
If the Pacers are to get past the Knicks, they’ll need star point guard Tyrese Haliburton to play better than he did against the Bucks. Haliburton averaged 16.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game against Milwaukee while shooting 43.5% from the field and 29.6% from beyond the arc.
Those averages and that kind of efficiency won’t get the job done against New York. I think Haliburton will play a bit better, but I would still expect the Knicks to come out on top.
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