RealGM Basketball Wiretap

17 May 2025

• Myles Turner Considered Likely To Re-Sign With Pacers

  Myles Turner will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but rival teams expect him to re-sign with the Indiana Pacers. For a player who has been in the NBA 10 years and only played for one franchise, Turner has appeared in an inordinate number of trade rumors during his career.

  The Pacers lack depth at center behind Turner and would be unable to functionally replace him in free agency.

  Turner averaged 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.0 blocks in 30.2 minutes over 72 games this season. Turner also shot 39.6 percent on 5.5 three-point attempts per game.

  If the Pacers re-sign Turner, they may need to explore a trade scenario to position their payroll amid luxury tax concerns.

• Rick Carlisle Says Pacers Got 'Hot At The Right Time' After Series-Clinching Win

  The Indiana Pacers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-105 in Game 5 to win the series 4-1.

  Tyrese Haliburton finished with 31 points in the win, with Pascal Siakam adding 21 points.

  "I have to give our guys credit; they earned this," Rick Carlisle said after the win. "This was one of the best teams in the league. I'm sorry their season had to end like this. They had the perfect season, and we came along and were hot at the right time."

  The Cavs got out to a 44-25 lead before the Pacers closed it to 56-52 at halftime.

  The Pacers have now made two consecutive conference finals. They are the first team since seeding began to make the conference finals in consecutive seasons as the four-seed or lower.

  The Pacers also won all three road games in the series.

  "We were not favored in one game. The lowest point spread was 5½. That was something that fueled our guys too," added Carlisle.

  The Pacers will play the winner of the Knicks-Celtics series.

• Rick Carlisle On Pacers' 3-1 Lead: We Haven't Done Anything Yet

  The Indiana Pacers have a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals over the Cleveland Cavaliers, but Rick Carlisle wants his team to stay focused.

  "We haven't done anything yet," Carlisle said Sunday night.

  "We're going to keep approaching this like we have everything to prove," Carlisle said. "We know people don't believe in us... the things about the scores and all that, it's meaningless. This game is now history. So, we got to stay in the present moment as much as we can try to maintain an edge."

  The Pacers won the first two games of the series at Cleveland before losing Game 3 on their homecourt. Indiana rebounded to blow out the Cavaliers in Game 4.

  "Complete domination by them," Kenny Atkinson said. "That's kind of the story. In every facet."

• Bennedict Mathurin Ejected From Game 4 Win After Striking De'Andre Hunter

  Bennedict Mathurin was ejected from the Indiana Pacers' 129-109 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 after hitting De'Andre Hunter with a closed fist.

  Mathurin, who had played one minute in the game, was called for a flagrant foul 2.

  Hunter and Myles Turner were given a technical foul for a skirmish following the strike.

  "Whatever happened, happened. He will accept the ejection [and] whatever else happens from it," said Rick Carlisle after the game. "We just got to move forward. It is a learning experience for him. Playoff series are physical. They're chippy."

  The Pacers are up 3-1 in the series, with Game 5 taking place on Tuesday.

• Tyrese Haliburton Warned Over Game 2 Celebration

  Tyrese Haliburton received a warning for his dance celebration at the end of Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

  Haliburton said that he expected to get fined for the celebration.

  "It was just right in the moment," said Haliburton. "It was right in the moment. Yeah, man, I've been waiting for that. I'll take that fine, gladly."

  The decision has yet to be made publicly.

  Largely believed to have started with Sam Cassell, celebrations similar to Haliburton's have drawn fines in the past due to an "obscene gesture."

• 'That Boy Cold, Man': Tyrese Haliburton's Game-Winner Completes Pacers' Comeback

  Tyrese Haliburton delivered a game-winning three-pointer after securing his own missed free throw, completing the Indiana Pacers' remarkable 20-point comeback to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-119 on Wednesday night. The victory gives Indiana a commanding 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

  "It's a special feeling, man. It's a lot of fun," Haliburton said after the game. "Any basketball fan, or anybody who's involved in basketball at all... has imagined being a kid, being in the driveway, being in the living room, time winding down in their head, shooting it, missing, and putting more time on the clock. I'm just having fun out there. And winning is fun."

  The dramatic finish came after the Pacers erased Cleveland's seven-point lead with less than 50 seconds remaining in regulation. Teammate Myles Turner summed up Haliburton's heroics simply: "Quite frankly, that boy cold, man."

  Haliburton was fouled with just 12.1 seconds left on the clock. After making his first free throw, he missed the second but alertly grabbed the rebound himself.

  "It's funny how it works out sometimes," said Haliburton, who scored 11 of his 19 points in the crucial fourth quarter. "The ball came off. I jumped to grab it. I was going to shoot the floater right there. I kind of was looking around, but I just wanted to get out to the top."

  The Pacers' coaching staff opted not to call a timeout following Haliburton's rebound, allowing him to create space beyond the arc.

  "And then I just saw me and Ty Jerome at the top of the key," Haliburton explained. "I had space, and I just tried to make a play. I felt comfortable there. And, you know, just knocked it down."

  Following his clutch shot, Haliburton celebrated with Sam Cassell's famous "big balls" dance, acknowledging he'll likely face a fine for the gesture.

  "I've been waiting for that, man; it was just right in the moment," Haliburton admitted. "I'll gladly take that fine."

  The Pacers now head back to Indiana with momentum and a two-game advantage in the best-of-seven series.

• Tyrese Haliburton's Father Will Not Attend Pacers Games For 'Foreseeable Future'

  John Haliburton, Tyrese Haliburton's father, will not attend Indiana Pacers home or away games for the "foreseeable future."

  The decision comes after a discussion between John Haliburton and the Pacers' front office.

  John Haliburton got into a confrontation with Giannis Antetokounmpo following the Pacers' series-clinching win in Game 5.

  John Haliburton apologized on social media after the game.

  "He needs to just allow me to play basketball and stay over there, and I'll come to him to celebrate," said Tyrese Haliburton. "But the emotions of the game got excited there. I talked with him. I'll talk with Giannis. I don't think my pops was in the right at all there."

• Giannis Antetokounmpo: Postgame Behavior Of Tyrese Haliburton's Father 'Totally Unacceptable'

  Giannis Antetokounmpo was taunted on the middle of the court by the father of Tyrese Haliburton immediately after the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of their first round series.

  "This is the last I'm going to say, I don't want to talk about it," said Antetokounmpo. "We lost the game. It doesn't really matter. All I'll say is that I believe in being humble in victory. That's the way I am. Now, there are a lot of people out there that can say, 'No. When you win, you gotta talk [expletive]. It's a green light for you to be disrespectful towards somebody else.' I disagree.

  "I have won a championship. They haven't. That doesn't say anything. I'm not trying to minimize their effort. When we won a championship, I remember my mom was scared to cross. She was like, 'Am I allowed to come and hug my son?' This is not something that we do. We don't. I try to keep my family away from the game.

  "But losing a game, emotions run high, having a fan, which at the moment, I thought he was a fan and then I realized, it was Tyrese's dad. I love Tyrese. He's a great competitor. - coming in the floor and showing me his son's towel and saying, 'This is what we do. This is what we f'ing do. This is what the eff we do.' I feel like that's very, very disrespectful.

  "Having somebody's dad - and I'm happy for him and I'm happy for his son and I'm happy that he's happy for his son, that's how he's supposed to feel - but coming to me and disrespecting me and cursing at me is totally unacceptable. Totally unacceptable. I'm not a guy that points fingers because in my neighborhood snitches get stitches, so I don't want to say something for him to get fined or anything, but it's not respectful. I talked with him at the end. And I think we're in a good place."

  Tyrese Haliburton also took issue with the behavior of his father and spoke to the media about how he felt.

  "After we won, I kind of blacked out a little bit," said Haliburton. "I don't really remember a ton (other) than all of the guys grabbing me on my head. As far as the incident between Giannis and my pops, I had no idea it happened until I got to the back [and] was showed the video. Me and my pops have talked about that, and I don't agree with what transpired there from him. I think basketball is basketball and let's keep it on the court. I think that he just got excited. [He] saw his son made a game-winner and came on the court. But we had a conversation, and I think he needs to just allow me to play basketball, stay over there and I'll come to him to celebrate. But I think just the emotions of the game, [he] got excited there. But I've talked with him, (and) I'll talk with Giannis eventually about it. I don't think that my pops was in the right at all there."

• 2025 NBA Playoffs: First-Round Matchups Set As Regular Season Concludes

  The Oklahoma City Thunder secured homecourt advantage for the duration of the playoffs with their 68-14 record and NBA-best +12.9 Net Rating. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics were bunched together in second and third in both record and Net Rating.

  The best matchups of the first round figure to be the Los Angeles Lakers against Minnesota Timberwolves less than a year after Luka Doncic faced them with his former team in the Western Conference Finals. The Houston Rockets against either the Golden State Warriors or Memphis Grizzlies will also be close and contentious, as should the New York Knicks against the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference.

  The opening games of the playoffs begin next weekend following the conclusion of the Play-In Tournament on Friday.

  Western Conference
  • (1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Play-In Winner between loser of Golden State Warriors/Memphis Grizzlies or Sacramento Kings/Dallas Mavericks
  • (2) Houston Rockets vs. (7) Play-In Winner of Golden State Warriors/Memphis Grizzlies
  • (3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
  • (4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) LA Clippers

  Eastern Conference
  • (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Play-In Winner between loser of Orlando Magic/Atlanta Hawks or Chicago Bulls/Miami Heat
  • (2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Play-In Winner of Orlando Magic/Atlanta Hawks
  • (3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Detroit Pistons
  • (4) Indiana Pacers vs. (5) Milwaukee Bucks
  
  NBA Play-In Tournament
  Western Conference
  • (8) Memphis Grizzlies vs. (7) Golden State Warriors (Tues., Apr. 15 - 10 p.m. ET on TNT)
  • (10) Dallas Mavericks vs. (9) Sacramento Kings (Wed., Apr. 16 - 10 p.m. ET on ESPN)
  
  Eastern Conference
  • (8) Atlanta Hawks vs. (7) Orlando Magic (Tues., Apr. 15 - 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT)
  • (10) Miami Heat vs. (9) Chicago Bulls (Wed., Apr. 16 - 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN)

• Pacers Clinch Homecourt Advantage In First Round Of Eastern Conference Playoffs

  The Indiana Pacers have clinched homecourt advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Indiana could still rise as high as the third seed in the East, depending on the results of their final two games and the New York Knicks final two games.

  The Pacers joined the Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics as having homecourt in the first round in the East playoffs. The Cavs have clinched the first seed, while the Celtics have clinched the second seed.

  The Pacers enter play on Friday one game behind the Knicks for the third seed. Indiana would need to win their final two games, while New York loses their final two games. If the teams finish tied, the Knicks own the tiebreaker due to winning the regular season series 2-1.