That tired old proverb about the dangers of ᴀssumptions resurfaced after the Indiana Pacers clinched the Eastern Conference Finals with a 125-108 Game 6 win over the New York Knicks on Saturday night in Indianapolis.
Unfortunately, it’s unclear who the proverbial ‘ᴀss’ is: Tyrese Haliburton for mistakenly ᴀssuming he’d won the series MVP or NBA fans for erroneously casting judgement on the Pacers star.
The situation unfolded with TNT’s Ernie Johnson handling MC duties amid the post-game celebration.
When it came time for Indiana legend Reggie Miller to present a series MVP named for ex-Pacers coach and executive Larry Bird, Haliburton looked ready to be anointed as the franchise’s newest hero: He smiled, pointed towards his own chest and stepped in front of his celebrating teammates.
After all, he’d averaged 21 points and 10.5 ᴀssists per game over the series, which included a Game 4 triple double and his crucial tying sH๏τ in an overtime Game 1 victory. Who else was going to be named MVP?
As it turns out, that person proved to be Pacers power forward Pascal Siakam, who looked nearly as surprised as the team’s All-Star point guard to be given the Larry Bird trophy.
“First of all, shoutout Indy man… I’m just so happy to be here” 🙌Pascal Siakam with nothing but graтιтude after winning ECF MVP 👏 pic.twitter.com/CD6kUMJegt
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 1, 2025 
Siakam receives the MVP trophy as Haliburton (far right) is seen smirking towards the crowd
Haliburton (far right) is seen walking in front of teammates as the award winner is revealed
Teammates mob Pascal Siakam after he won the ECF series MVP award on Saturday
It was one of only a few misses for Haliburton on Saturday, who finished with 21 points, 13 ᴀssists and six rebounds while making 9 of 17 sH๏τs from the field. In fact, he played well enough to get four of nine MVP votes from the media, not including TNT analyst Stan Van Gundy, who expressed that same opinion late in Saturday’s broadcast.
Fans were largely split in the series MVP debate between Haliburton and Siakam, who averaged 24.8 points and five rebounds per game, including a 39-point effort in a Game 2 win in New York. While some claimed Haliburton was ‘absolutely snubbed,’ others argued ‘100% should have been Siakam.’
Fans were less divided about Haliburton, who was ridiculed online for his perceived overconfidence.
‘Tyrese Haliburton DEFINITELY thought he was winning the Eastern Conference Finals MVP,’ one fan wrote on X.
One fan called Haliburton the ‘corniest player in the NBA,’ while others lobbed similar insults.
Haliburton (left side, white arm band) is seen cheering for Siakam, the ECF series MVP
The problem is: Haliburton may not have been overconfident about winning the MVP award as many have claimed.
A closer inspection of the footage shows Haliburton was having his pH๏τo taken at the moment he was pointing to his chest. And as far his decision to walk in front of teammates as the MVP award winner was being announced, that could interpreted in any number of ways.
And to his credit, Haliburton is seen cheering for Siakam as he receives the award.
The good new for Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was that he didn’t have to choose between Siakam or Haliburton.
‘Pascal and Tyrese put us on their backs and made sure we would not lose,’ Carlisle told fans. ‘But our work has just begun.’
The Pacers have only been to one NBA Finals back in 2000, when Bird coached Miller with the help of his then-ᴀssistant coach and former Boston Celtics teammate, Carlisle.
The team does have three ABA тιтles from the 1970s.
Indiana now heads to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.
