Pacers Allow Haliburton’s Father To Attend Home Games Again

The Indiana Pacers have decided to lift the indefinite suspension that Tyrese Haliburton’s father, John, was observing since Game 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks. ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report.

After the Pacers clinched that series, John entered the court and was seen taunting Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. With the clip going viral instantly, both Antetokounmpo and Tyrese addressed it after the game. The Pacers then decided to prohibit John from attending games indefinitely, which he accepted.

He also issued an apology on social media to Antetokounmpo as well as the Bucks and Pacers organizations.

John missed the entire conference semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the first three games of the East Finals against the New York Knicks. With Indiana leading the series 2-1, John is now expected to return for Game 4. In total, he missed eight games of which three came at home.

Indiana did confirm that he still won’t be allowed to attend road games.

The Pacers will have a double boost from a fan perspective for Game 4. In addition to John, the Pacers fan who was hit with trash bags in New York will also be at the game.

Pacers Now Facing Some Pressure

How quickly momentum can change in a playoff series. From leading 2-0 with a 20-point lead in Game 3 to now needing to win Game 4 to keep the homecourt advantage they stole. NBA teams are undefeated when leading a series 3-0 and the Pacers will know they were that close. Lose on Tuesday and the Knicks will have made it a best-of-three with two games at home.

Indiana will remind itself that they just had a similar situation against the 64-win Cavs. After winning both games in Cleveland, the Cavs bounced back to take Game 3 in Indiana. The Pacers picked themselves up and won both Game 4 and 5 to clinch the series.

Game 4 is Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. EST.