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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

Despite possessing one of the best win records during the regular season, the odds were not in the favour of the Bucks during the playoffs. Even after having one of their two leading scorers returning to the main lineup, they lost the fourth of their six-game series and have now been eliminated. It didn’t take long for the victorious team, the Pacers, to start celebrating. Tyrese Haliburton went as far as to troll his rival with a callback from 2o23!

During the post-game press conference, Patrick Beverley was asked what it was like defending Haliburton. All the dejected player could say was Check your numbers. I think he’s (Haliburton) shooting 19% from three. If I gave you the ball for 41 minutes, you’d have 10 assists also.” The interview caught the attention of the man being discussed. Retweeting from his official X account, Haliburton mocked his rival, writing, “Con man. Flip from above the rim”.

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The “Con Man” remark was reference to an exact one made by Damian Lillard back in 2023. At that point in time, both Lillard and Beverley were members of different teams, with the former being with the Blazers and the latter with the Lakers. In the aftermath of a matchup featuring both on opposite sides, Beverley proceeded to downplay his rival’s ability, stating, “If he would have cooked me you would have said ‘I couldn’t guard him.’ But he misses a couple shots and it’s a ‘slow shooting night.’” This led Lillard to put the “Con man. Flip from above the rim” remark. Unfortunately, Lillard himself can’t take credit for coming up with that remark, since the original credits for saying it goes to Bernie Mac’s character, from the 30-year-old film “Above the Rim”!

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It is no secret that Damian Lillard and Patrick Beverley once shared an open disdain towards each other. That all changed, once both were in the Bucks roster. In fact, Beverley once recalled in an interview revealing how both the former rivals sat down together during Bobby Portis’ birthday to resolve things. Thanks to that, the duo were not only able to maintain a good professional relationship but also used their talents, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, to get the Bucks to this stage. While Beverley may have lost one rival earlier, he seems to have gained another one now.

Tyrese Haliburton claims that Patrick Beverley made a ‘spanking’ reference in the aftermath of the matchup

Despite the comments Patrick Beverley would later go on to make about his rival’s shooting skills, the Bucks player seemed to have handled his loss gracefully after the matchup. Or, at least that’s what Tyrese Haliburton told us was the case. In the post-game press conference, the Pacers point guard was asked about a conversation that took place between him and Beverley. A conversation that couldn’t be heard but was definitely noticeable.

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“He said ‘Good series, Belt A*s’” recalled Haliburton. Through this remark, Beverley would have indicated in a good way how the Pacers used the belt to ‘spank’ their rear during the playoff series.

The Indiana Pacers will now head to the Eastern Conference SFs. Beating the Bucks was their first playoff win since 2014. Tyrese Haliburton has been a significant factor in the team’s success till now. Whether the same prowess from earlier will be displayed during this next stage remains to be seen.