Category: Indiana Pacers

Stephen A. Smith Rips Patrick Beverley, Predicts Strong Punishment From NBA
3 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Stephen A. Smith Rips Patrick Beverley, Predicts Strong Punishment From NBA

Stephen A. Smith ripped Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley's behavior with ESPN producer Malinda Adams during postgame media availability in the wake of the Bucks' season-ending 120-98 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Beverley asked Adams if she subscribed to his podcast when she asked him a question during the locker room media scrum. After she admitted she did not subscribe to his podcast, he asked her to remove her microphone and leave the circle of reporters.

Smith believes a big fine could be coming for Beverley's unwarranted actions.

"I can't believe he did that. I just can't believe he did that," Smith began. "I've known Patrick Beverley for years. I love the brother. It's inexcusable. It's indefensible. When he threw the ball into the stands, he didn't mean to throw it at the woman. He meant to throw it at the guy... but he should have never thrown it the first time... And then to go into the locker room thereafter and to address a female reporter. I'm quite sure there are male reporters in the locker room who don't necessarily subscribe to Pat Beverley's podcast. Did you ask them whether they are subscribers to your podcast? Did you refuse to talk to them?

"It's indefensible. I love Pat Bev. I cannot defend it, not one bit. It is an incredibly bad look. A suspension? You can book it... The punishment is forthcoming and I suspect a severe one."

Beverley reportedly called Adams to apologize on Friday morning, and it's apparent that he is in some hot water with the NBA. Time will tell just how severe the punishment is for Beverley for his off-court antics on Thursday night.

Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Patrick Beverley, Stephen A. Smith
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Tyrese Haliburton Has a Wholesome Theory for Why T.J. McConnell Played Well in Game 6
3 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Tyrese Haliburton Has a Wholesome Theory for Why T.J. McConnell Played Well in Game 6

The Indiana Pacers knocked the Milwaukee Bucks out of the playoffs on Thursday night with a 120-98 victory in Game 6.

Perhaps the most impactful player for the Pacers was veteran guard T.J. McConnell, who came off the bench to score 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting to go along with nine assists and four steals in 23 minutes of action.

When asked about the impact that McConnell had on the outcome of the game, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton gave a pretty genuine response about his teammate.

"Yeah I knew he was gonna respond," Haliburton said. "His wife Val was here and I always tell him that he plays better when Val is at the games. He was a little down after Game 5. He didn't perform how he wanted to. I just told him, 'Hey we're gonna go home. Val is gonna be at the game. You're gonna be better.' And it happened, so shoutout Val!" Haliburton concluded with a big smile on his face.

McConnell's shooting and playmaking prowess off the bench will certainly be needed in the Eastern Conference semifinals when the Pacers take on the New York Knicks.

Game 1 is set for Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden.

Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, T.J. McConnell, Tyrese Haliburton
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Patrick Beverley Refused to Talk to a Reporter Who Wasn't Subscribed to His Podcast
3 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Patrick Beverley Refused to Talk to a Reporter Who Wasn’t Subscribed to His Podcast

The Milwaukee Bucks' ill-fated 2023-2024 season came to an end on Thursday night as the Indiana Pacers eliminated them from the playoffs. The Pacers won, 120-98, sending the Giannis Antotenkounmpo-less Bucks home in six games. Pacers guards Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnell combined for 51 points and 23 assists. Their counterpart, Patrick Beverley, played a team-high 40 minutes, equaled his season average with six points, and threw a basketball at a fan.

After the game the media gathered around Beverley's locker to talk to the team's sixth-leading postseason scorer. That was when Beverley looked at ESPN's Malinda Adams and asked if she subscribed to his podcast and informed her that she could not interview him if she didn't.

She laughed it off, likely assuming he was joking, but he actually wasn't. So Beverley then pushed her microphone away and said, "Can you move that mic, please? Or just get out the circle, please for me, please ma'am. If you're not subscribed to my pod I'd appreciate that." She then walked away.

Beverley's unprofessional, childish, and quite frankly, lame request has been widely condemned in the media, but the most shocking part is that this apparently wasn't a one-time thing. According to CBS Sports' Jack Maloney, Beverley "has refused to talk to any of us in Milwaukee who do not subscribe to his podcast since he arrived at the trade deadline."

Some people in the comments (never read the comments!) are arguing that since it's free and easy to subscribe to the podcast, media members should just do what Beverley asks (or just lie about it!), but that misses every possible point. First of all, the NBA has rules about media availability and nowhere in those rules does it say a media member needs anything but a credential to get access. Smashing that subscribe button certainly isn't a requirement.

Most importantly, this is just kind of sad. Sad for Beverley, who needs to force people to subscribe to his podcast. Sad for any media member who caved to this ridiculous demand. And especially sad for anyone who has to listen to his reaction when he's told he's definitely not allowed to do this.

ESPN, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, Patrick Beverley
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Patrick Beverley Shares Statement After Making Excuse for Throwing Ball at Pacers Fans
3 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Patrick Beverley Shares Statement After Making Excuse for Throwing Ball at Pacers Fans

It was a rough night for Patrick Beverley and the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Indiana Pacers took care of business at home, defeating the Bucks 120-98 in Game 6 to advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Pacers fans behind the Bucks' bench exchanged words with Beverley during the game, and it was clear that Beverley's frustrations had boiled over. Beverley tossed a ball at a Pacers fan in the stands, who then lobbed it back in his direction. Beverley then took the ball and threw it with force back at the fan before being restrained by his teammates.

Beverley didn't address the altercation with the fans in his postgame media availability, but he continued his antics by asking an ESPN producer to stop interviewing him because she didn't subscribe to his podcast.

As for the run-in with the Pacers fans, Beverley gave an excuse for his behavior in a social media post after the game, before issuing a half-hearted apology.

It's fair to assume that Beverley will be hearing from the league office, both for refusing an interview (which he's obligated to give per the CBA) and throwing the ball at Pacers fans in the stands.

Not a great night for Beverley or the Bucks, who will now move into the offseason with plenty of questions.

Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Patrick Beverley
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Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Uses Old Damian Lillard Quote to Troll Patrick Beverley
3 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton Uses Old Damian Lillard Quote to Troll Patrick Beverley

The Indiana Pacers are headed to the Eastern Conference semifinals after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.

Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton pulled no punches when gloating over the series victory, taking to X and referencing an old quote from Bucks point guard Damian Lillard in order to take a shot at Patrick Beverley.

"Con man. Flip from above the rim," wrote Haliburton on X, quoting an old post of a video in which Beverley was talking trash about Haliburton's game to reporters.

Lillard and Beverley, who are now teammates in Milwaukee, haven't always gotten along. In a previous spat between the two guards, Lillard used that same quote to compare Beverley to Bernie Mac's character, Flip, from the 1994 film, "Above the Rim."

Suffice to say, Flip isn't a character most would want to draw connections to, and Haliburton made his own feelings on Beverley abundantly clear with his seven-word tweet on Thursday.

It's not the first time that the Bucks have been eliminated by Indiana this year. The Pacers knocked Milwaukee out of the in-season tournament, a game during which Haliburton did his fair share of showboating, which prompted a response from Damian Lillard in a postgame press conference.

After ending the Bucks' season with their 4–2 series win, Haliburton once again was eager to celebrate and took the opportunity to troll Beverley in savage fashion.

Damian Lillard, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, Patrick Beverley, Tyrese Haliburton
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Patrick Beverley Appeared to Hurl Basketball at Fan During Bucks' Loss to Pacers
3 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Patrick Beverley Appeared to Hurl Basketball at Fan During Bucks’ Loss to Pacers

Patrick Beverley appeared to engage in a heated altercation with a fan in the closing minutes of the Milwaukee Bucks' season-ending loss to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.

Beverley checked out of the game for good with 2:32 to play. As he stood near the Bucks' bench, the TNT broadcast captured Beverley calling for a basketball from a nearby fan. When he received the ball, Beverley chucked it back at the fan with what appeared to be some intentional velocity.

It's unclear what was said between Beverley and the fan before and during this clip, but it's not a good look for the 35-year-old guard.

Beverley scored six points on 3-of-11 shooting and tallied five assists in 40 minutes during the Bucks' 120–98 loss at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Milwaukee was eliminated from the playoffs with the loss.

Beverley, who was traded to the Bucks in February, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer heading into his 13th season in the league.

Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Patrick Beverley
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NBA World Pleads for TNT to Mute Loud Pacers Fan During Game 6 Broadcast
2 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

NBA World Pleads for TNT to Mute Loud Pacers Fan During Game 6 Broadcast

The Indiana Pacers hosted the Milwaukee Bucks for Game 6 of their first-round NBA playoff series on Thursday night, a game televised nationally on TNT.

It didn't take long for NBA fans to grow frustrated with the audio on the broadcast, thanks to the behavior of one supporter in the stands at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, who happened to be seated distractingly close to the TNT broadcast's microphone.

The fan in question was constantly heckling the Bucks, loudly and relentlessly shouting at players on the road team throughout the game. All of his antics were picked up by the TNT microphone, leading to a rather unpleasant viewing experience for fans at home.

The fan had distinct trash talk for different members of Milwaukee, including Damian Lillard, Bobby Portis and Danilo Gallinari, among others, and he was incessantly letting them hear it.

The basketball world on social media voiced their frustrations with the booming Pacers fan, and urged the broadcast to mute the microphone.

Damian Lillard, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA
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Bucks' Damian Lillard to Return From Injury for Game 6 vs. Pacers
2 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Bucks’ Damian Lillard to Return From Injury for Game 6 vs. Pacers

The Milwaukee Bucks will get some much-needed reinforcements for Thursday's tilt against the Indiana Pacers.

With their backs against the wall, facing elimination, star point guard Damian Lillard is set to make his return to the lineup in Game 6 after missing the previous two games with an Achilles injury, NBA insider Chris Haynes reports.

The Bucks trail the Pacers 3–2 in the series, and they'll be on the road at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as they look to keep their season alive.

Lillard's return will provide a big boost toward those efforts. In Games 1 to 3, Lillard averaged 32.3 points, 5.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds while making 5.3 threes per game at a 44.4% clip. Milwaukee was 1–2 in the series with the 33-year-old in the lineup.

Although Lillard's expected to return for Thursday's game, the Bucks will still be without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who remains sidelined with a soleus strain. Antetokounmpo has yet to feature in the series, and will need Milwaukee to force Game 7 if he's hoping to contribute at all against Indiana.

Lillard appeared in 73 games during the regular season, averaging 24.3 points, 7.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks
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