Tyrese Haliburton scolds his father as Pacers eliminates the bucks

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is so excited about Indiana's impossible overtime rally that he didn't realize what caused his teammates and the Milwaukee Bucks to play after the game Tuesday night.

He then arrived at the locker room, watched the replay and flinched, when he saw his father John on the court, twice face-to-face with MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

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"I didn't know it was until I got back to the locker room and they showed me my pop music video." The two All-Stars said after he had a decisive layup of 1.3 seconds left, giving Indiana a 119-118 victory and a 4-1 series. "We kind of talked about it. I don't agree with what's going on there. I think basketball is basketball, let's keep it on the court. I think he's just excited."

Antetokounmpo was also unhappy with his team's lead in the last 40 seconds of overtime, allowing the Bucks to play for the third consecutive round. The two-time MVP did not recognize John Haliburton, thinking he was just another fan who ran onto the court.

Antetokounmpo said he liked Halliburton and called him a great competitor, but he said John Haliburton showed a towel in his son's image and was wrong to yell "This is what we (Enveptive) do."

“I think it’s very, very disrespectful,” said Antetokounmpo, who scored 30 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists.

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Haliburton seemed very upset about the incident, promising to engage with Antetokounmpo before the team plays again.

“I’ll end up talking to Giannis,” said Haliburton, who grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. “I don’t think my pop music was there at all. Unfortunately, what happened in the end.

"Unfortunately, what happened there (the melee), but I think it's just competition," he added. "As far as my pop music goes, I don't agree with what happened there. We're going to have a conversation."

Antetokounmpo tells a story about the Bucks' 2020-21 championship season when his mother competed in every game from mid-February to the title. The Greek superstar said his mom wasn't even sure if she could come and hug him at the end of the final game, noting that his family doesn't usually sit in court.

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The Pacers and the Bucks have met 20 times over the past two seasons, and the Pacers have won eight 11 playoff and playoff series in an increasingly fierce competition.

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