Tyrese Haliburton is very well-versed in the lore of his franchise.
The Indiana Pacers star guard delivered an excellent performance on Sunday the lights were brightest. In Game 7 against the New York Knicks, Haliburton answered the call with 26 points (including six made treys) as the Pacers stunned the Knicks at Madison Square Garden to win in a 130-109 blowout. He even talked trash to the Knicks faithful during his scoring outburst in the first half.
After his team’s victory, Haliburton continued the barbs by showing up to his postgame news conference in some very fitting attire. He wore a hoodie with the famous image of Pacers great Reggie Miller flashing the choke sign.
Angela Moryan of WISH-TV in Indianapolis shared the great photo.
Of course, Miller is one of the most reviled figures in Knicks history and was even nicknamed “Knick Killer” for his many triumphs over the years at their expense. Miller and the Pacers faced the Knicks in the playoffs six different times from 1993-2000 (with the two teams earning three wins each). Their rivalry culminated in 1994 when the Pacers and Knicks met in the Eastern Conference Finals and Miller flashed the choke signal to Knicks superfan Spike Lee as Indiana came back to win Game 5 (though the Knicks would still take the series in seven games).
Fittingly enough, Miller was on the call for TNT during multiple games of this year’s Knicks-Pacers series (leading to a fantastic viral moment with the MSG crowd in Game 2). As for the 24-year-old Haliburton, who hadn’t even been born yet when Miller first did the choke gesture, he made sure to give a nod to Miller as the Pacers did right by him on Sunday and took out the Knicks.
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NBA
Suns GM leaves no doubt about team’s stance on potentially trading Big Three
The Phoenix Suns have not lived up to expectations since pulling off big deals for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to join them with Devin Booker. But that does not mean the team is giving up. Suns general manager James Jones joined “The Burns and Gambo Show” on Arizona Sports radio for an interview Friday. Jones stated in no uncertain terms that the Suns will not be breaking up their Big Three. That’s not too big of a surprise. The Suns went 49-33, which earned them the sixth seed in the stacked Western Conference. They were swept out of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. Rather than point the finger largely at the players, the Suns almost immediately fired Frank Vogel and hired Mike Budenholzer to replace him. They gave up tons of assets to bring in both Durant and Beal. They’re going to make a coaching change first and do everything possible to give that core of players another shot or two at winning a championship before breaking it up. The real important thing for the Suns is having the players available and healthy at the same time. Durant will be 36 and entering his 16th season in the league, while Beal will be 31 and in his 12th season. In other words, they’re not getting any younger.
NFL
Fantasy expert offers blunt take on Eagles RB Will Shipley
Former Clemson running back Will Shipley was a first-team All-American in 2022, but at least one expert doesn’t think he belongs on your fantasy team. Shipley was a third-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2024 NFL Draft, essentially replacing Boston Scott who recently signed with the Los Angeles Rams. Shipley will see significantly less work as a rookie than veteran Saquon Barkley, which may not bode well for his fantasy value. As Fantasy Pros’ Mike Fanelli puts it, “Even if the superstar misses significant time, Shipley will split the backfield work with Kenneth Gainwell and lose all goal-line attempts to Jalen Hurts. I’ll happily draft Kimani Vidal and Tyrone Tracy Jr. over Shipley.” Tracy and Vidal could have better seasons than Shipley, but Fanelli is missing key points. While Hurts may have 41 rushing touchdowns in four years with the team, the 25-year-old quarterback took a beating last year and won’t have All-Pro center and future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce clearing a path in 2024. Kelce retired in the offseason. He’ll be replaced by right guard Cam Jurgens, who may not be as effective in leading the team’s infamous “tush-push” play. Hurts had a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns last season but without Kelce, that number could go down. Barkley’s injury history also shouldn’t be ignored. Since joining the league as the second-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the former Giants running back missed 25 possible regular season games. And Gainwell’s career average of 298 yards per season won’t scare anybody. If Barkley gets hurt, Gainwell could struggle as the team’s lead back. In other words, Shipley shouldn’t be the first, second or even third running back taken in your next fantasy draft, but he’s hardly an afterthought, as some believe. This year, keep one eye on Barkley and one on the waiver wire where Shipley could pay dividends as the season progresses.
NFL
Brian Callahan sees a key similarity between Bengals’ Joe Burrow and Peyton Manning…
Just because Brian Callahan has moved on from the Cincinnati Bengals, it has not slowed him down from talking highly of his former players. Joe Burrow is great and that is no secret to anyone who has a grasp of the current NFL. He is one of the better quarterbacks in the game and only a few can challenge him. In a recent podcast appearance on The Athletic Football Show via The Athletic, Callahan compared Burrow to a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame that he was able to coach early in his coaching career. “And Joe’s sort of in the similar mold that Peyton [Manning] is in, in terms of his processing and his quickness and his accuracy. A lot of these things we did in Denver fit him,” Callahan explains. Being compared to one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game in multiple key phases of the game is being held to high regard, to say the least. Callahan got his offensive coaching start with the Denver Broncos and was with the team from 2010 until 2015. Callahan was a member of their Super Bowl-winning team with Manning under center. Manning was named a Pro Bowler 13 times and won five different MVP awards throughout his career. The difference between the two has been health. Manning was on the back end of his career before he had any injury issues and Burrow has had trouble staying healthy earlier in his career. Between the knee injury as a rookie and the wrist injury last season, health has been a red flag for Burrow in his first few years. Burrow has had two of his first four NFL seasons cut short due to season-ending injuries. When he is on the field, he elevates the Bengals into a different-level team that can compete for it all. The reason being has a lot of what Callahan compared between Manning and Burrow to do with it. Cincinnati needs Burrow to stay healthy and have more time on the field showing his Manning-like abilities to reach their big picture. Don’t rule out 2024 being the year that happens. If Burrow can end his career anywhere close to what Manning accomplished in his, I believe that Bengals fans would be more than happy with the outcome.
WNBA
Three takeaways from Caitlin Clark’s third WNBA game
Caitlin Clark and the Fever played their third game of the season on Saturday afternoon against the New York Liberty. Here are three takeaways from the Fever’s 91-80 loss. Liberty are a freight train New York looks like a team on a mission. The Liberty are coming off a WNBA Finals loss to the Aces and have five finals appearances without a championship banner in their history, giving them as much motivation as they have talent in 2024. Last year’s MVP, Breanna Stewart, led the team with 24 points on Saturday, and all five starters finished in double figures. Forward Jonquel Jones had a game-high 12 rebounds, and guard Sabrina Ionescu added a team-high four made threes, while the bench chipped in with 18 points. ESPN’s Holly Rowe interviewed the entire team at halfcourt following the game, and play-by-play commentator Ryan Ruocco joked that it resembled an impromptu trophy celebration. Who knows? It could foreshadow what’s to come later this year. Caitlin Clark improves, but turnovers remain an issue Per Across The Timeline, Clark’s 51 points are the most by a player in their first three WNBA games since Ionescu’s 55 points in 2020 and tied for the 18th most all-time. She also joined all-time great Candace Parker as the only rookie with at least 50 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in their first three games. It speaks to Clark’s talent that she’s only scratching the surface of what she’s capable of in the WNBA despite already putting herself in impressive company. Clark had eight turnovers in the loss, giving her 21 on the season, the most in WNBA history for a player in her first three games. Being the primary ball-handler on a fast-paced team, Clark should be expected to rack up her fair share of turnovers. But seven turnovers per game are far too much and the most glaring issue for an otherwise-promising start to her career. Fever’s defense needs a lot of work Indiana’s two main pieces, Clark and forward Aliyah Boston, give the franchise a bright future, but for the Fever to take the next step, their defense must vastly improve. Through three games, Indiana has allowed 95 points per game, with opponents shooting 47.6 percent, including 40 percent from deep. The Fever are last in the league in scoring defense and need to start asserting themselves on that end, not only to get easier shots on offense but also to relieve pressure from needing to score on every possession down the court.
