The 2025 Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks certainly started with a bang. The Pacers mounted a miraculous comeback that put the ball in Tyrese Haliburton’s hands, down by two, for the final shot. Haliburton took it, and one lucky bounce later, he tied the game, sending it to overtime. The guard made the moment even more iconic by doing the Reggie Miller choke pose. Draymond Green recently commented on this on Haliburton’s behalf.
It’s still insane that the Pacers were even in the game at that point. New York held a 14-point lead in the final few minutes, but some lights-out three-point shooting by Aaron Nesmith kept Indiana alive right up to the final possession. When Haliburton hit the shot, the Inside the NBA crew—featuring Draymond Green for the evening—went wild in the press box. They all thought the game was over.
Good thing Kenny Smith was there to point out that Haliburton’s shot was actually only a two.
So when Dray and Warriors legend Baron Davis discussed the game and the now-famous Tyrese “choke” meme on The Draymond Green Podcast, the four-time NBA champion had one clear message for the league: Don’t take any money out of Haliburton’s wallet.
“I pray to God that the NBA don’t fine him,” said Green, who knows a thing or two about fine. “We take so many things so literal, and like in today’s day and age, you can’t act like you’re choking someone.”
He later mentioned that it should be clear to anyone with a brain that Hali wasn’t doing the pose as a harmful act. But Green’s concern is understandable. It is a much more sensitive world today than it was when Miller first hit the pose on famed Knicks fan Spike Lee in 1994.
Green later doubled down on his message to the NBA, specifically commissioner Adam Silver. “I hope the NBA don’t fine him because that’s what we paying to see. Like you talk about entertainers being entertainers, you talk about stars being stars on the biggest stage at the Mecca.” Thankfully, it seems like Haliburton is in the clear for now. It’s been two nights since Game 1, and no fine has emerged yet. Also, Miller did not get fined when he did it either. But the again, that was a different time.Haliburton wishes he didn’t do the choke, especially after he found out it wasn’t a walk-off three
The media was obviously bombarding the Pacers star with questions about his superstar-making moment at the Garden during the post-game press conference. Funnily enough, Haliburton now says he wishes he hadn’t done the choke—not because he’s above it, but because he thought it was a walk-off three. However, part of his foot was on the line, which sent the game into overtime instead of sealing the win.
“I wasn’t plotting on it or anything. … If I would have known it was a two, I wouldn’t have done it. I might have wasted it. If I do it again, people might say I’m aura farming,” the 25-year-old Pacer stated.
Now that Indiana has stolen a game in New York, they’ll have the upper hand heading into the rest of the series. But the pressure is on the Pacers to keep their foot on New York’s neck. Can Hali and Co. do the big thing and make sure they get the last laugh? We’ll have to wait and see.
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