The guard for the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton, was thrilled after Indiana’s surprising overtime win, but he was unaware of the postgame tension between his teammates and the Milwaukee Bucks that night.

Upon returning to the locker room, Haliburton viewed the replay and was alarmed to see his father, John Haliburton, challenging two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on the floor.

“I had no idea it happened until I got back to the locker room and they showed me the video of my pops,” Haliburton reflected, after contributing the game-winning layup that secured a 119-118 victory and a 4-1 series triumph.

Haliburton noted that he did not agree with his father’s actions, stating, “We had a little talk about it. I don’t agree with what transpired there. I think basketball is basketball and let’s keep it on the court. I think he just got excited.”

Antetokounmpo voiced his displeasure over the incident as well, especially after the Bucks squandered a seven-point lead in the last minutes of overtime, marking their third consecutive first-round playoff exit. Initially mistaking John Haliburton for a fan, Antetokounmpo stated he felt John’s actions were very disrespectful when he flaunted a towel featuring his son’s image and shouted, “this is what we (expletive) do.”

“I feel like that’s very, very disrespectful,” Antetokounmpo asserted, after posting impressive stats of 30 points, 20 rebounds, and 13 assists in that game.

Haliburton expressed genuine regret over the situation and vowed to speak with Antetokounmpo before their next meeting.

“I’ll talk to Giannis about it eventually. I don’t think my pops was in the right at all there. It’s unfortunate what happened at the end there.”

Haliburton summarized the incident as unfortunate but simply an aspect of competitive sports, reiterating his disagreement with his father’s behavior.

Antetokounmpo shared a memory regarding his championship season, highlighting how his mother attended every game and was cautious about crossing onto the court following the last match. He emphasized that his family generally keeps a low profile during games.

The rivalry between the Pacers and Bucks has intensified, with the teams having faced off 20 times in the past two seasons, where the Pacers came out on top in eight of their eleven playoff encounters.