The Indiana Pacers moved one win away from the NBA Finals by taking care of the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night. Tyrese Haliburton, who has very importantly yet to be granted superstar status by Stephen A. Smith, posted a 32-point triple double without a turnover to make some playoff history. Pat McAfee was able to counteract the Knicks' expansive celebrity fanbase with some of his trademark profanity and Gainbridge Fieldhouse was electric. Perhaps even more so because John Haliburton was allowed to be in attendance to see his son's display.
The elder Haliburton's temporary ban from attending basketball games was lifted after Charles Barkley and other people put their weight behind a movement to "free" him. If you'll remember Haliburton was forced to watch the Pacers exploits from sports bars and other non-NBA arenas after the running onto the court to taunt Giannis Antetokounmpo after the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated at Indiana's hand. An honest mistake and clearly something that a few trips to the Lay-Z-Boy instead of courtside can rectify. Lessons apparently learned, Haliburton's father was back in the mix Tuesday.
After playing one of the better games you'll ever see in the postseason, the younger Haliburton offered some much-needed perspective about the hardships faced by his father after escalating a potentially bad situation with one of the faces of the NBA.
"I know we're saying 'free pops' but he was not in jail, he happened to be in a very beautiful home sitting very pretty watching NBA basketball," Haliburton said. "He's just fine."
Tyrese Haliburton on his dad:
— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) May 28, 2025
“I know we're saying ‘FREE POPS’ but he was not in jail, he happened to be in a very beautiful home sitting very pretty watching NBA basketball… He's just fine”
😂😂
pic.twitter.com/IniGQO3Frf
Good to hear.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tyrese Haliburton Put His Dad’s Ban into Perfect Perspective After Game 4 Win.
