NBA star Tyrese Haliburton didn’t hold back with his message to the Milwaukee Bucks after the Indiana Pacers took a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.
The Pacers and Bucks have been hostile toward one another in the Eastern Conference playoff matchup.
ReutersIndiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton celebrates after his made basket in the team’s Game 2 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday night[/caption] ReutersThe Pacers and Bucks have had heated moments during Games 1 and 2 of the first-round playoff series in the Eastern Conference[/caption]Double technical fouls have been assessed to the Bucks and Pacers in each of the first two games in Indiana.
Haliburton, who scored 21 points and recorded five rebounds and 12 assists in Tuesday’s Pacers win, made sure to let the fans know that the bad blood in the series is indeed real.
“We don’t have to sit here and act like it’s any secret,” Haliburton said in Tuesday’s postgame conference, per ESPN.
“We don’t like them, they don’t like us, and that’s just what it is.
“And I think they live for this, we live for this, so I could [not] care less.
“I’m out here just trying to help my team win a game.”
Game 1 saw an altercation between Haliburton and Bucks star Damian Lillard, who didn’t play in the contest but returned to action for the first time in a month on Tuesday.
The two stars had another run-in in Game 2, and the same contest produced a tense moment when Bucks’ Gary Trent Jr. and Pacers’ Pascal Siakam wrestled for a loose ball as the latter player hit the floor hard.
When asked about his eye-opening sequences with Lillard, Haliburton said, “Just competitors. He wants to win, I want to win. It’s the highest level.
“We’re in the highest level in the most contentious moment here in the playoffs.”
There has been a recent heated rivalry between the Pacers and Bucks.
Including last season’s NBA Cup semifinals and playoff games, the two squads have played against each other 18 times since the beginning of the 2023-24 season.
During a December 2023 matchup, there was a heated postgame confrontation over Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s attempt to retrieve a game ball from the Pacers after his historic 64-point performance that night.
The two-time NBA MVP acknowledged the two teams’ beef, but suggested his team has other priorities since the Bucks are down 2-0 series.
“I feel like there’s a lot of animosity, a lot of back and forth,” Giannis said.
GettyGiannis Antetokounmpo speaking to coach Doc Rivers during Game 2[/caption]“But I try to stay away from it.
“But s***, if you poke me, I’m right there. I’m not backing down.
“… My mindset right now is Game 3. We know the f***ing deal, man.”
Giannis has dominated as he scored 34 on Tuesday night after his 36-point effort in Game 1.
However, the Bucks have led for just a combined three minutes in two games.
ReutersThe Pacers are up 2-0 in the series and will go on the road to face the Bucks on Friday[/caption]Game 3 will be a home contest for the Bucks on Friday night, and fans can expect more of the same intestinity between the two teams, according to Haliburton.
“I’m sure there’ll be more heated moments, more competitive moments,” he said.
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