May 25, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) shoots a three point basket over New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) during the fourth quarter of game three of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Pacers Fan Who Was Harassed in New York Receives Massive Welcome Ahead of Game 4

Originally posted on Indianapolis Pacers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated May 27, 2025 2:57 PM ET

The Indiana Pacers were able to win the first two games in New York before losing Game 3 at home. Taking both in Madison Square Garden gives the Pacers a massive advantage.

Now, the Pacers have to just win two more games in the next five in order to win the series. During one of those games in New York, a Pacers fan went viral because of the poor treatment he was getting from Knicks fans.

Hans Perez was seen walking away from a horde of Knicks fans while they were yelling at him, hurling insults at him, and physically throwing trash at him.

The Pacers saw what happened and reached out to him. Tyrese Haliburton made the generous offer to fly him to Indy so that he could see Game 4 in person.

Indiana sent out a crew to meet him at the airport and document his journey to Indianapolis.

rolled out the gold carpet for Hans Perez's arrival to Indy for Game 4

we teamed up with the Indianapolis Fire Department & @INDAirport for a special welcome and ride to his hotel

Hans is the fan who went viral for wearing a Tyrese Haliburton jersey around Madison Square… pic.twitter.com/GrHvYNdkVp
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 27, 2025

Perez is a firefighter, so it makes the Knicks fan's behavior even more despicable. Firefighters do everything they possibly can to make people's lives better.

Rolling into the airport wasn't the only cool thing that Perez got to enjoy. He was also on set with Pat McAfee for his show live from Gainbridge Fieldhouse ahead of Game 4.

JOINING US NOW HANS PEREZ #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/jLDkHZlRpg
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 27, 2025

Indiana is hoping to get a win for Perez and the rest of the fan base on Tuesday night to take a 3-1 lead in the series. Getting that lead would give them a great chance to win the series and head to the second NBA Finals in franchise history.

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Winning this game while he's in attendance would be a very cool moment for Perez. He is certainly grateful for everything that Haliburton and the rest of the Pacers did for him.

Haliburton now needs to turn his attention to playing better in Game 4 than he did in Game 3. He needs to be more aggressive with his shot.

The Pacers have to bounce back after giving up a 20-point lead in the first half. It would be surprising if they didn't make the required adjustments to get a win.

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This article first appeared on Indianapolis Pacers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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