Tyrese Haliburton scolds his father for sparking postgame fracas after Pacers eliminate Bucks
INDIANAPOLIS AP Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was so excited about Indiana s improbable overtime rally that he didn t realize what led to the postgame scuffle between his teammates and the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night Then he got to the locker room watched the replay and winced when he saw his father John on the court confronting two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo I had no idea it happened until I got back to the locker room and they manifested me the video of my pops the two-time All-Star revealed after he made the decisive layup with seconds left to give Indiana a - triumph and a - series win 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 wasn t pleased either after his group blew a seven-point lead in the final seconds of overtime sending the Bucks to their third straight first-round exit The two-time MVP didn t recognize John Haliburton thinking he was just another fan who had run onto the court Antetokounmpo explained he likes Haliburton calling him a great competitor but he announced John Haliburton displaying a towel with his son s image while yelling this is what we expletive do was wrong I feel like that s very very disrespectful reported Antetokounmpo who finished with points rebounds and assists Haliburton seemed genuinely upset about the circumstance promising to reach out to Antetokounmpo before the teams play again I ll talk to Giannis about it eventually commented Haliburton who grew up in Oshkosh Wisconsin I don t think my pops was in the right at all there It s unfortunate what happened at the end there It s unfortunate what happened there the scuffle but I think it s just competition he added As far as my pops I don t agree with what happened there We ll have a conversation Antetokounmpo described a story about the Bucks - championship season when his mother attended every meeting from mid-February through the title run The Greek superstar disclosed his mom wasn t even sure whether she could come onto the court to hug him at the end of the final battle and noted that his family members typically don t sit courtside The Pacers and Bucks have met times over the past two seasons with the Pacers winning eight playoff games and both postseason series in an increasingly heated rivalry AP NBA https apnews com hub NBA Source
