Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton has received his punishment for a wild celebration at the end of Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The NBA has decided not to fine the Pacers guard but rather give him a warning regarding the celebration.
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The Pacers’ star hit a game-winning 3-point shot against the Cavaliers to give the Pacers a 2-0 series lead. After the shot went in, Haliburton did the old Sam Cassell celebration, much to the displeasure of some.
Tyrese Haliburton has been warned but not fined for Sam Cassell big balls celebration.pic.twitter.com/YLLtJ7r1mB
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) May 8, 2025
The league deems this celebration to be an “obscene gesture, and they have seen other players take part in it as well. Some of those include LeBron James, Eddie House, Julius Randle, and Fred VanVleet over the years.
Haliburton was fully expecting to be fined over the dance, discussing it after the fact.. But it seems that the league didn’t agree with his initial assessment and has eased up on it all.
“I’ve been waiting for that. I’ve been waiting for that, man,” Haliburton said after Game 2, when asked about the celebration and whether he expected to hear from the league. “It was just right in the moment. It was right in the moment. Yeah, man, I’ve been waiting for that. I’ll take that fine, gladly.”
With the shot, Haliburton silenced some doubters. Many around the league were looking at Indiana as an afterthought entering this series, but the Pacers have quickly shut many people up.
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As they get set for Game 3, the Pacers have a chance to push the top-seeded Cavaliers to the brink of elimination. Indiana understands that this series is far from over, but the team is feeling very confident heading into this next game.
If the Pacers can take Game 3, it would be a chokehold on this playoff series. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 series hole in NBA history, so the Pacers would be heavily favored to advance to another Eastern Conference Finals.
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