The New York Knicks had a historic collapse in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, and Tyrese Haliburton’s father had an appropriate celebration afterward.
The Pacers beat the Knicks 138-135 in overtime at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. It appeared the game was over when Indiana was trailing by 14 points with just over three minutes remaining, but the Pacers somehow forced OT on a Haliburton buzzer-beater at the end of regulation.
After draining the clutch basket, Haliburton did the iconic Reggie Miller choke gesture. You can see the video here.
Haliburton’s father, John Haliburton, watched the game from a bar. John celebrated Indiana’s win with a very similar gesture:
Hali daddy in here clowning 😂 YES’CERSSSS @Pacers pic.twitter.com/s3dUO5FmmE
— Nurse Ky👩🏽⚕️ (@pplcallme_Ky) May 22, 2025
John Haliburton is known for sitting courtside at Pacers games and being quite animated. However, he has been away from the team since he had a heated on-court incident with Giannis Antetokounmpo during the first round of the playoffs. He also reportedly got into it with a fan at one point.
Tyrese has joked that his father has been enjoying watching games from home, but it looks like John decided to venture out for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He and his fellow Pacers supporters had plenty to be happy about.
