Tyrese Haliburton's Dad John Denies Swearing at Giannis, Explains Postgame Video
After a heated exchange with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo following the Indiana Pacers' overtime win to advance to the second round of the playoffs on Tuesday, Tyrese Haliburton's father, John, explained his side of the story.
While John took ownership for the altercation and said he "got caught up in the moment," he denied swearing at Antetokounmpo.
"I never swore at him," John said, per the Indianapolis Star's Dustin Dopirak. "Absolutely never. I don't swear. Everybody who knows me knows that I don't swear. I can't stand it. It's on record that I say things to my son when he swears on the basketball court because kids are watching him. I don't do that. I don't believe in it."
After Tyrese hit a game-winning layup in the final seconds of Tuesday's matchup, John was one of the first people on the court and immediately approached Antetokounmpo, waving a flag and exchanging words with the star.
It led to a scuffle between the two teams, taking away from what should have been a celebratory moment for the Pacers.
Tyrese was quick to call out his father after the game.
"I don't agree with what transpired there from him," Tyrese told reporters. "I think basketball is basketball and let's keep it on the court. I think that he just got excited, saw his son make a game-winner and came on the court. ... I don't think that my pops was in the right at all there and it's unfortunate what happened at the end there."
Antetokounmpo gave a long-winded answer when asked for his side of the story, explaining why humility is so important to him and saying that he felt disrespected by "unacceptable" behavior.
The emotions from Tyrese's father and everyone else in the building are understandable, given the nature of the contest. The Pacers trailed by seven points in the final minute but miraculously came back and ultimately won with Tyrese's layup.
Tyrese will try to carry over the momentum of his clutch performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The date of the Game 1 hasn't been announced.
Jimmy Butler Trade Drama 'Certainly Had an Impact' on Heat Season, Erik Spoelstra Says
The Miami Heat's season is over after one of the most lopsided first-rounds in NBA history.
The 2024-25 Heat season will likely be remembered more for what happened off the court than on it.
In January, the face of the franchise, Jimmy Butler, upended the Heat's season when he requested a trade and later faced several suspensions for "conduct detrimental to the team."
With all the drama that came with the season, head coach Erik Spoelstra admitted that Butler's trade request and eventual trade played a part in the team's lack of success.
“It certainly had an impact,” Spoelstra said, per the Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang. “We are an organization that prides ourselves on not making any kind of excuses. Even if we managed it perfectly, there’s always second-guessing on what we could have done better just to right the ship. It was turbulent waters. But it’s not as if that would have moved the needle for us to be first in the conference. That’s unrealistic.”
The Heat were by no means a top contender in the East when Butler was traded, but without their star they struggled to win games. Miami's struggles were on full display in its first-round matchup with the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Heat managed to play a competitive Game 2, but the other three games were blowouts, the worst being a 138-83 loss in Game 4 to end their season.
As Spoelstra said, Miami can't blame all of its problems on Butler, but with all the drama off the court, it was hard to imagine the Heat would be able to recover and make a deep playoff run.
Giannis' Future Reportedly 'Might Be a Mystery' to Bucks amid NBA Trade Rumors
Giannis Antetokounmpo's future with the Milwaukee Bucks might be the biggest story of the upcoming NBA offseason, but how that story will unfold reportedly remains quite a "mystery" within the league and franchise.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst discussed the situation Wednesday and explained the lack of advanced speculation about the topic (10-minute mark).
"There has been zero speculation about Giannis and his future," Windhorst said. "He's worked very hard and so has his representation to shut down anything. He has been completely focused on the Bucks. So therefore this is basically a bit of a mystery. It might be a mystery within the organization a little bit. It's definitely a mystery for other teams out there. Whether he would want to get moved and who would potentially be on a list of interested teams.
"Which means this is going to be one of the biggest things hanging over the NBA offseason. And other players, potentially even star players who might end up on the trade market might have to wait themselves to see how Giannis' situation plays out because teams are going to see him as the biggest fish."
On paper, Antetokounmpo is under contract with the Bucks through the 2026-27 campaign with a player option for 2027-28.
However, it wouldn't be shocking if he wants to move on this offseason after the team lost in the first round for the third straight year. What's more, Damian Lillard's availability for next season is very much up in the air after he suffered a torn Achilles during the first-round loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The Bucks may be looking at an uphill battle to compete for a championship next season without Lillard, and Antetokounmpo may want to go somewhere that gives him a more realistic chance to compete for a ring.
As for the team, trading the two-time MVP and nine-time All-Star would be the quickest way to accelerate any type of eventual rebuild it could be looking at during the years to come. Antetokounmpo would lead to a return package featuring a number of young players and draft picks in any trade, especially if much of the NBA is competing against each other in something of a bidding war.
That he is still just 30 years old and figures to remain among the best players in the league for the foreseeable future means any return package would be all the more enticing.
For now, though, it seems like the entire situation is shrouded in mystery despite how monumental it can be for the NBA's offseason.
NBA Announces Dates for 2025 2nd-Round Eastern Conference Playoff Bracket Matchups
With the four-team field nearly set, the NBA announced Wednesday the dates for the two Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers will tip things off on May 4, and the series could extend to May 18 if it goes the full seven games. The Boston Celtics will play either the New York Knicks or Detroit Pistons starting on May 5, and they could keep going as late as May 19.
The Cavaliers dropped three of their four head-to-head meetings with the Pacers during the regular season. Granted, two of those defeats came after Cleveland had secured the top seed in the East. Stars Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley sat out both contests.
In general, the Cavs didn't have a strong finish to the year. They went on a four-game losing streak in mid-March and lacked the sharpness they displayed earlier in the season as they inched toward a first-place finish.
By sweeping the Miami Heat, Cleveland is looking pretty formidable again. Only one of the four games was decided by fewer than 21 points, and the 55-point margin of victory in Game 4 was the fourth-biggest in postseason history.
The Pacers figure to be big underdogs as they attempt to punch a ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year.
The Celtics had a harder time putting away the Orlando Magic. Orlando took Game 3, while Games 2 and 4 were decided by single digits.
Boston will nonetheless be favored by many to advance regardless of whether it's the Knicks or Pistons.
Having ended a five-year playoff drought, Detroit is probably another season or two from being a serious contender with its young roster. New York, meanwhile, went 0-4 against the Celtics. In general, neither squad has been all that impressive.
Anything other than Cavs vs. Celtics in the conference finals will be a surprise.
Kevin Love Won't Retire, Plans to Return to Heat for 2025-26 NBA Season
Miami Heat center Kevin Love "has made it clear" he plans to return for the 2025-26 NBA season, according to the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds.
The Heat's first-round elimination by the Cleveland Cavaliers marked the end of Love's 17th NBA season and third with Miami.
He has one year remaining on his contract and is set to hit unrestricted free agency ahead of his age-38 campaign.
Love, who joined the Heat after his buyout by the Cleveland Cavaliers and went to start for the Heat during the team's 2023 run to the NBA Finals, re-signed on a two-year deal ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Injuries and personal reasons limited him to 23 games this season. When available, he averaged 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists while playing 10.9 minutes per game, mostly off the bench.
Love missed most of the final month of the Heat's season to be with his father, Stan Love, who recently died at age 76.
When discussing the impact of Love's absence during the Heat's postseason run, Bam Adebayo said Saturday that the team "could use his voice," per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
Love previously told the Herald's Barry Jackson in March that he "wasn't ready yet" for a bench role when seeking his buyout from the Cavaliers in 2023, but that he now has an "understanding of his role."
"I want to keep pouring into this team and doing whatever I can. Stay ready, and if I do or do not get time, I’m going to keep being a mentor or sounding board," Love told Jackson.
Love continued, “I’m trying to create a really great ecosystem here where we can celebrate each other, celebrate small wins, and build guys up."
Adebayo said after the Heat's first-round sweep by the Cavaliers, he expects "a lot of changes this summer." If Love is sticking around, Miami will likely look for him to take on a similar mentorship role amid what is likely to be roster turnover.
Love began his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves and spent nine seasons in Cleveland, where he helped lead the franchise to the 2016 NBA title. He said the Cavaliers have informed him his jersey will be retired following his playing career, per Withers. It sounds like the Cavs will need to wait at least one more season to raise No. 0 to the rafters.
Fred VanVleet Hypes Jalen Green's Upside, Draws Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker Comps
Even though Jalen Green's shot remains a work-in progress for the Houston Rockets, Fred VanVleet is extremely confident in the 23-year-old's potential to play at an All-Star level.
Speaking to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, VanVleet hyped up Green by comparing his upside to that of Anthony Edwards and Devin Booker:
"I don't know if you can go get another 2 guard with the upside or the talent level. [Anthony Edwards] maybe in Minnesota. I don't know, does Book have more talent than Jalen or is he more skilled and more polished and more experienced and older? ... I don't know what Jalen will look like when he's 26, 27, 28 after playoff series. And that's the upside, where it's like potential can get a little intoxicating. He has the talent. There's no reason for him not to reach that level. He's got to go through it; he's got to fail."
Green's first postseason experience has been a microcosm of the good and bad in his game. His best performance against the Golden State Warriors was a 38-point outing in Houston's 109-94 victory in Game 2.
In the three games around that one, though, Green has scored a combined total of 24 points on 10-of-34 shooting (2-of-14 from three-point range).
There were positive signs of progress with Green's shooting touch this season. He made a career-high 35.4 percent of his attempts behind the arc, while leading the Rockets in scoring average with 21.0 points per game.
Green's efficiency still leaves a lot to be desired. He ranked 164th out of 185 qualified guards with a 54.4 true shooting percentage.
Booker is an interesting player to compare with Green because his career got off to a slow start. The Phoenix Suns star shot just 43.7 percent from the field and 35.4 percent behind the arc during his first four seasons.
Since the 2019-20 season, Booker has been one of the best shooting guards in the NBA. He has averaged 26.5 points on 48.0 percent shooting (35.4 percent from three) with four All-Star selections over the past six seasons.
Green will be entering his age-23 season in 2025-26 having shot 42.2 percent overall and 34.2 percent behind the arc in his first four seasons.
Expecting a Booker-level leap from Green is unfair, but the Rockets bet on his ceiling four years ago when they made him the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NBA draft.
It's also interesting that VanVleet mentioned Booker since he has been linked to the Rockets as a potential trade target if they flame out in the playoffs and Phoenix decides to start looking toward the long-term future.
Suns governor Mat Ishbia has said in no uncertain terms he won't trade Booker, so it could be a moot point for Houston.
If a Booker trade were to materialize, Green would almost certainly have to be involved both for financial purposes and to give the Suns an established young player with the upside to be a star.
Of course, if the Rockets truly believe Green can reach his full potential, they might not be ready to give up on him this summer. It's not uncommon for a young player in his first postseason to struggle, then come back the following year even better.
While there will be plenty of time for the Rockets to think about the future, their immediate outlook is focused on extending their season. They trail the Warriors 3-1 and will host Game 5 on Wednesday needing a win to stay alive.