The NBA playoffs, man! It’s where emotions run high, rivalries get personal, and sometimes, the best moments happen after the final buzzer. When the Indiana Pacers knocked out the New York Knicks after a gritty Game 6, it wasn’t just a win, it was a statement. And Tyrese Haliburton made sure everyone heard it loud and clear. His target? Not another player. Not a coach. But die-hard Knicks fan and Hollywood star… Ben Stiller.
So, here’s how the off-court beef started. Before Game 6, with the Pacers up 3-2 and looking to close out the Knicks in Indiana, Bleacher Report tweeted a video of Haliburton arriving at the arena looking sharp in an all-black fit, carrying a black duffel bag. Ben Stiller, a die-hard Knicks supporter who has been super visible cheering on his team, saw his opening and quote-tweeted it with a little jab: “Good thing he brought his duffel for the flight to NY.” The implication was clear: Stiller was banking on a Knicks win to force a Game 7 back in Madison Square Garden.
Well, about that Game 7… it ain’t happening. The Pacers went out and handled their business in Game 6, beating the Knicks 125-108 to clinch the Eastern Conference title for the first time since 2000. Tyrese Haliburton, after a quiet Game 5, bounced back with a strong performance, dropping 21 points and dishing out 13 assists. And as soon as that final buzzer sounded, you just knew Hali was heading straight for his phone. He reposted Stiller’s tweet and hit him with the ultimate comeback: “Nah, was to pack y’all up.” Mic. Drop.
Nah, was to pack y’all up https://t.co/hhgo9fp8ib
— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) June 1, 2025
But Haliburton didn’t win it all. While he was busy orchestrating the offense and then expertly trolling Ben Stiller, it was his teammate, Pascal Siakam, who was ultimately named the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
It was a close race, for sure. According to NBA Communications, Siakam edged out Haliburton by just one vote from the media panel (5 votes to 4). Even Pacers legend Reggie Miller, who was part of the TNT broadcast team presenting the trophy, actually voted for Haliburton! But Siakam’s numbers and impact throughout the series were undeniable.
He averaged 24.8 points on incredible 52.4% shooting (including a blistering 50% from three!), to go along with 5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game against the Knicks. And when Haliburton had those off nights in Games 2 and 5 (scoring just 14 and 8 points respectively), who was there to pick up the slack and carry the offensive load? Pascal Siakam, dropping 39 in Game 2 and being the highest-scoring starter with 15 in that tough Game 5 loss. That’s what an MVP does.
After the Pacers clinched the Finals birth, Coach Rick Carlisle summed it up perfectly: “Our two stars, Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, put our team on their backs and just decided that we were not going to lose this game today.“ And Siakam, ever the humble teammate, said after receiving the trophy, “Shout out Indy, man… After a bad Game 5, I wanted to bounce back. I have 100% belief in my teammates. Whenever we are down, we always find a way and we did that tonight.”
So, while Haliburton got the last laugh on X, Siakam got the hardware, which was basically a shoutout to how much he truly changed everything for the Pacers in this series.
Finals on a budget? Pacers and Thunder prove you don’t need to break the bank!
So, the Indiana Pacers are heading to the NBA Finals to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Get ready for some incredible basketball, right? Two young, exciting teams, both hungry for their first title (well, OKC’s first since moving from Seattle). But here’s a wild little nugget that makes this matchup even more interesting, something that goes beyond just the X’s and O’s: this Pacers-Thunder Finals is actually making some serious NBA financial history.
Get this: for the first time since the NBA’s luxury tax was put in place back in 2002, neither team in the NBA Finals is a luxury tax payer! That’s a pretty big deal in an era where it often feels like you have to spend a gazillion dollars and build a superteam to even sniff a championship. The Pacers, according to Spotrac, ranked 18th in the league in payroll this season (around $169 million), and the Thunder were even further down at 25th (around $165 million). Meanwhile, the teams they beat to get here? The Knicks were 4th in payroll, and the Timberwolves were 2nd! It just goes to show, smart drafting, savvy trades, and great player development can still get you to the promised land without necessarily having the deepest pockets.
Out of 44 teams to make it to the Finals in that span, 26 were luxury taxpayers. And out of the 22 champions, 16 of them were paying that tax. The few non-taxpayer champs in that time? Teams like the 2006 Heat, the 2014 Spurs, the 2015 and 2017 Warriors (somehow!), and the 2020 Lakers. So, the Pacers and Thunder are definitely bucking a trend.
How’d these two “cheaper” teams pull it off? It’s all about smart team building. Both squads have a couple of big-money stars – OKC with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on that max rookie extension and Isaiah Hartenstein on a hefty free-agent deal, and the Pacers with Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam both on similar max extensions. But the rest of their rosters? They’re filled out with guys on reasonable veteran deals and, crucially, a ton of young talent still on their rookie contracts. Think about OKC with Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, or the Pacers with Andrew Nembhard on a super team-friendly deal. That’s how you build a contender without going broke.
Now, let’s be real, these teams won’t stay “cheap” forever. SGA is eligible for a monster supermax in 2026, and Holmgren and Williams are due for huge rookie extensions. The Thunder know they’ll have to pay up to keep this core together. But for right now? These two small-market franchises have shown the rest of the league that you don’t always have to outspend everyone to make it to the NBA Finals. Sometimes, smarts, patience, and a little bit of draft luck can go a long, long way. This Finals matchup isn’t just exciting for the basketball, it’s a win for smart team building.
The post Tyrese Haliburton Retorts at Ben Stiller’s Comments as One Person Changed Everything for Pacers Star appeared first on EssentiallySports.
