By Eric Nehm, James Boyd, and Jelani Scott
An incredible Game 5 collapse by the Milwaukee Bucks stunned NBA fans Tuesday night as Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers closed out their first-round playoff series with a dramatic 119-118 overtime victory, but many eyes were on what happened after the final buzzer sounded.
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Once the game ended, attention shifted to Haliburton’s father, John, and Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who appeared to have an on-court exchange as the Pacers and their fans celebrated the win.
As Antetokounmpo stood in contemplation following the Bucks’ collapse, John Haliburton made his way onto the court and past Antetokounmpo on his way to halfcourt to celebrate with the Pacers players. After seeing Antetokounmpo, John made his way back towards him and held up a towel with his son Tyrese on it and began talking at the Bucks star.
“Losing a game, emotions run high,” Antetokounmpo said. “Having a fan – which at the moment, I thought he was a fan and then I realized, it was Tyrese’s dad. I love Tyrese. He’s a great competitor. – coming on the floor and showing me his son’s towel and saying, “This is what we do. This is what we effing do. This is what the eff we do.” I feel like that’s very, very disrespectful.”
Full answer from #Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo after @eric_nehm asked what happened after the game on the court:
"I believe like being humble in victory."
Giannis felt "disrespected" but added they have talked and "I think we're in a good place." pic.twitter.com/3a4orZzGk9
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Antetokounmpo’s nearly four-minute description of the event touched on how he believed the event unfolded and his belief that players need to be humble in victory, a sentiment he touched on following the Bucks’ only win in the series in Game 3. The two-time MVP also discussed how his parents, especially his father who tragically passed away from a heart attack in 2017, raised him to behave.
Eventually, though, Antetokounmpo told reporters that he believed he was able to handle the situation and come to an understanding with John.
“Having somebody’s dad – and I’m happy for him and I’m happy for his son and I’m happy that he’s happy for his son, that’s how he’s supposed to feel – but coming to me and disrespecting me and cursing at me is totally unacceptable,” Antetokounmpo continued. “Totally unacceptable. I’m not a guy that points fingers because in my neighborhood snitches get stitches, so I don’t want to say something for him to get fined or anything, but it’s not respectful. I talked with him at the end. And I think we’re in a good place.”
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To Tyrese’s credit, he told reporters that he believed his father had acted inappropriately in the moment.
“As far as the incident between Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and my pops, I had no idea it happened until I got to the back (and) was shown the video,” the younger Haliburton said. “Me and my pops have talked about that, and I don’t agree with what transpired there from him. I think basketball is basketball and let’s keep it on the court.”
John has built a reputation as arguably the most recognizable parent of a Pacers player, as well as one of the most visible fathers in the NBA. He’s often sitting courtside at the Pacers’ home and away games, cheering on his son while wearing Tyrese’s jersey or some other family-related gear. And last year, John’s affable personality was on full display in a PUMA commercial after Tyrese signed with the athletic brand.
“They told us his jumper wouldn’t translate. Really?” John asked rhetorically as Tyrese swished jump shots in an empty gym. “He ain’t no joke. That’s a promise.”
However, Tuesday night John was not in an empty gym shooting a commercial with his son. He was at a packed Gainbridge Fieldhouse, having walked on the court to taunt Antetokounmpo after Tyrese blew by him for the game-winning layup. Haliburton has always been appreciative of his father’s outward support, but the two-time All-Star immediately denounced his father’s antagonizing actions, which included waving a large towel in Antetokounmpo’s face that featured a photo of Tyrese.
“I think that he just got excited,” said Haliburton. “(He) saw his son made a game-winner and came on the court. But we had a conversation, and I think he needs to just allow me to play basketball, stay over there and I’ll come to him to celebrate. But I think just the emotions of the game, (he) got excited there. But I’ve talked with him, (and) I’ll talk with Giannis eventually about it. I don’t think that my pops was in the right at all there.”
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The post-game incident between Antetokounmpo and the elder Haliburton, as well as further heated interactions between both teams, distracted from what was an incredible comeback for the Pacers in the closing moments.
Milwaukee held a 20-point lead early in the game before the Pacers battled back to force overtime. The Bucks then built a seven-point lead in the extra period after shooting guard AJ Green gave them 118-111 lead with 40 seconds remaining, only for the Pacers to score the final eight points of overtime to steal Game 5 and close out their foe.
Indiana’s improbable comeback started somewhat nondescriptly with a deep Andrew Nembhard 3 to cut Milwaukee’s lead to four with 34.5 seconds remaining. Following an initial struggle to get the ball up the floor, Doc Rivers called a timeout to advance the ball to the frontcourt. On that next inbounds play, the Bucks got the ball inbounds with relative ease as Gary Trent Jr. got wide open on the right wing in front of the inbounder, Green.
From there, though, Trent got himself in trouble as he held the ball and Indiana’s defense swarmed.
“They got a good trap,” Trent said after the game. “I tried to get it out of my hands before the next guy came over. They trapped me pretty well.”
In a panic to get rid of the ball, Trent jumped in the air and tried to throw it to a teammate, but Nembhard picked it off and found a teammate. Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton quickly got his hands on the ball and threw it back to Nembhard up the floor. With nothing on the initial attack, the Pacers gave the ball back to Haliburton, who attacked Green off the dribble and got to the rim for a bucket, plus the foul.
“I can’t foul,” Green said. “Gotta keep him in front better, contain it better.”
Even with Haliburton’s and-one, the Bucks were still in position to close the game out if they knocked down their free throws, but for a second straight possession, they panicked into a turnover.
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Rivers took his final timeout to avoid a five-second inbounding violation, which advanced the ball into the frontcourt. While the Bucks threw the ball into a trap on their previous offensive possession, they did a far better job inbounding the ball to space by throwing it to Kevin Porter Jr. in the backcourt.
Rather than waiting for the Pacers to come foul him, Porter brought the ball up the floor, saw two swarming Pacers defenders, jumped into the air and threw a pass to Green. The 25-year-old guard handled some quick contact from two Pacers defenders and passed the ball to Trent wide-open in front of the Bucks’ bench.
Trent — who had been a hero for Milwaukee, scoring the first 12 points of overtime and 33 for the game — quickly became the scapegoat as he failed to secure the pass and let it slip through his hands with 10.8 seconds remaining and the Bucks up 118-117.
“AJ threw it to me, it went through my hands,” Trent said after the game. “I gotta catch ’em, for sure.”
Haliburton pushed the ball up the floor in transition, got Antetokounmpo switched onto him and then attacked, making it all the way to the rim for a finger roll with 1.3 seconds left.
Without any timeouts, Antetokounmpo inbounded the ball to Trent and the Bucks’ leading scorer on the night tossed up a 62-foot heave, but it was no good the Bucks had blown a seven-point lead in 40 seconds.
A fired-up Haliburton then quickly jumped on the scorer’s table in celebration before being bombarded by his teammates in front of a raucous home crowd.
Haliburton finished the contest with 26 points, nine assists, five rebounds and three steals in 42 minutes of action. No. 4 Indiana, after earning a 4-1 series win, will now play the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
(Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski / Imagn Images)
