The Indiana Pacers have sealed their spot in the second round of the NBA playoffs for a second straight year. Just like last season, the Pacers eliminated a shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks with this 119-118 Game 5 win in OT, where the Pacers made a 20-point comeback to win.
Things got chippy as both sides almost got into a team-wide brawl after the game.
The Bucks and Pacers going at it after the game 😮 pic.twitter.com/802elTgRgR
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 30, 2025
The Bucks and Pacers have had a contentious rivalry over the last two seasons, so the Pacers’ eliminating Giannis for the second year in a row had to feel great. This was true of Tyrese Haliburton’s dad, who could be seen having a heated conversation with Giannis after the game. Tyrese admonished his dad for his behavior after the game.
“As far as the incident between Giannis and my pops, I had no idea until I got to the back and was shown the video. I don’t agree with what transpired… He got excited that his son hit the game-winner on the court. The emotions of the game got excited, I spoke to Giannis about it and I don’t think that my pops was in the right at all there.”
"I don't think that my pops was in the right at all there. … Will have a conversation."
Tyrese Haliburton on the confrontation his dad had with Giannis following Pacers-Bucks 🗣️
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/xYvElI0Hn6 https://t.co/m2Y838cALH
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 30, 2025
Giannis also spoke about the incident after the game, but he was a lot more passionate about it, considering his season ended in the first round for the third straight year.
“I believe in being humble in victory. That’s who I am. Some people will say when you woin the game, you can talk sh*t and say it’s a green light for you to be disrespectful. I disagree. I’ve won a championship, they haven’t.”
“That doesn’t say anything, I’m not trying to minimize their effort. When I won, my mom hadn’t missed a game since February… When I won, she was scared to cross the line on the court and was like, ‘Am I allowed to hug my son?’ Except Thanasis, you don’t see my family sitting courtside at games.”
“Losing the game, emotions ran high. Having a fan, who at the moment i thought was a fan, but then realized he’s Tyrese’s father. Coming onto the floor and showing me his son’s face on a towel like, ‘This is what we effing do.’ I feel like that’s very very disrespectful.”
Giannis believes in being humble in victory. pic.twitter.com/GYEXyHoXUu
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 30, 2025
Giannis is right to feel upset, given how out of hand the ending of that game got. Even though he lost to the Pacers once again, everyone who watched knows that not a single Pacer player matched Giannis in terms of individual production. He averaged 33.0 points, 15.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists over five games.
The best Pacer was Haliburton, who averaged 17.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 11.6 assists over the same stretch. Unfortunately, Damian Lillard’s ACL tear and the poorly built Bucks roster just stood no chance against Indiana, prompting major questions about Giannis’ future in Milwaukee.
If this was Giannis’ final game as a Buck, it’ll mark the end of an era. The fighting and arguing from this Game 5 probably reinforced Giannis’ time in Milwaukee ending with a bang, but there’s a long offseason ahead anyway.
