Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers star Pascal Siakam was testy during his postgame availability in New York ... and it just happened to involve the reporter who had a cringeworthy interaction with Caitlin Clark in 2024 -- Gregg Doyel.

Siakam met with the media after the Knicks dodged elimination with a 111-94 win at Madison Square Garden ... when the big man said New York was "more aggressive from the jump."

Then Doyel's turn came around to pick Siakam's brain ... and he asked how it was possible for the team not to play as hard as their opponent.

Pat McAfee's WWE-style promo against famous New York Knicks fans during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals isn't sitting well with John Mellencamp ... who seems to be calling out the former Colts punter for his antics -- dubbing it "poor behavior."

The 73-year-old shared ahead of Game 5 between the Pacers and Knicks that he was disappointed "Hoosier hospitality" was not extended to the NY guests at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday.

"I was embarrassed when somebody, under whose direction I don't know, called out some of the people who had made the trip from New York to support their team -- and in turn, support our team," Mellencamp wrote on X.

3:06 PM PT -- Stiller weighed in on Pat McAfee's antics ... and said the ESPN host is welcome to attend Game 5 -- if he dares.

Pat McAfee went all WWE on famous Knicks fans' asses on Tuesday ... cutting a promo to hype up Pacers fans during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals -- and given the outcome, it might've helped Indiana get the dub.

The former Indianapolis Colts punter was handed the mic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to inject more energy into those in attendance during the pivotal matchup ... and with his time in the spotlight, he politely pointed out the big-time visitors -- including Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet -- who were courtside with hopes the Knicks would tie up the series.

What came out of his mouth next wasn't exactly PG.

The New York Knicks once again welcomed some of the biggest names in Hollywood to NYC's Madison Square Garden last night ... only to be upset by the Indiana Pacers for a second time.

It's an underwhelming outlook as the Pacers take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals ... but the Knicks would likely prefer we don't focus on that.

Instead, we're taking note of the A-Listers who showed their support in the Big Apple. Check out our gallery and you'll see the usual famous fans -- including Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet.

The Knicks had an extra hand in their thrilling Game 1 matchup with the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday ... but unfortunately for the home team, Jon Hamm's assist couldn't help them to victory.

The "Mad Men" actor had courtside seats for the contest at Madison Square Garden ... but Hamm apparently wasn't satisfied with sitting back and observing -- 'cause in the second quarter, he took matters into his own hands when the rock came flying in his direction.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton seemingly felt like he could've saved the ball to keep it in play ... and rushed to Hamm's section in hopes of deflecting it back onto the court.

Karl-Anthony Towns set the internet ablaze Sunday night when he was spotted at Yankee Stadium rocking a shirt that threw shade at the Boston Celtics ... and the man who gave birth to the iconic meme behind it is still in shock over the whole thing!!

TMZ Sports caught up with Jason Dantona to get his reaction to the viral moment from the final game of the Subway series ... and he told us he initially thought he was getting trolled when he was first notified of KAT's wardrobe choice.

"I thought they were messing with me," he said. "I had known the shirt was released a couple of weeks ago before we knew that we were playing the Celtics, but I didn't really expect any of the players to wear it on them."

Tyrese Haliburton's Pops is taking a backseat following Tuesday's shocking postgame tiff with Giannis Antetokounmpo ... with the Pacers deciding he will NOT watch future Pacers games in person.

According to ESPN, the team's front office sat down with John Haliburton to address the matter ... and it was determined he would not attend any home or away games "for the foreseeable future."

The report states the team came up with the decision ... and John accepted it.

Tyrese Haliburton's father denies he cursed at Giannis Antetokounmpo during their heated exchange after the Pacers-Bucks playoff series wrapped, insisting it didn't happen, saying they actually exchanged "I love yous" on the court.

The Pacers star's dad, John, spoke with TMJ4 to tell his side of the story ... recalling the moment The Greek Freak confronted him after waving a towel featuring Tyrese's face in front of him on the court after the Bucks' season-ending loss to the Pacers on Tuesday.

Antetokounmpo, during his post-game press conference, relayed that John was droppin' f-bombs while waving the towel in his face, describing the moment as "very disrespectful."

Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn't beat the Pacers on Tuesday night, but he sure laid the smackdown on their team's best player's father afterward -- ripping Tyrese Haliburton's dad for his actions following Indiana's big win over Milwaukee.

Giannis and Haliburton's pops, John, got into it immediately after Indy took down the Bucks, 119-118, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Tyrese had just hit the game-winner, and in order to celebrate, John raced onto the floor and waved a towel with his son's face on it in front of Giannis.

An anonymous NBA player poll dubbed Tyrese Haliburton the most overrated player in the league ... but don't bring that up to Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle -- 'cause he believes the results are absolute "bulls***."

Carlisle was asked about the questionnaire published by The Athletic following the Pacers' 123-115 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night ... and he made it clear he isn't a fan of the yearly piece.

"The other guys on the list were Jimmy Butler and Giannis [Antetokounmpo]," Carlisle said. "I wanna see the guys' faces that voted those guys, I wanna see the faces of those guys. This is a bulls*** poll."

Austin Reaves got creative for a gender reveal for his big bro  ... surprising him by wearing pink sneakers during Wednesday's Lakers game -- and Spencer absolutely loved it!!

The L.A. star delivered the exciting news to his brother and his pregnant wife, Casey, right on the court during his game against the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Reaves made his way to the hardwood rockin' pink and white kicks, signaling the baby is a girl.

Caitlin Clark and Connor McCaffery had the best seats in the house for the Indiana Pacers game on Monday ... sitting courtside with Tyrese Haliburton's girlfriend for the matchup!!

The former Iowa basketball players were spotted at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the Pacers' home contest against the New Orleans Pelicans ... and they appeared to be in great spirits.

The Fever star's presence certainly didn't go unnoticed ... as fans in attendance chanted her name.

If basketball ends anytime soon for NBA star Tyrese Haliburton ... he's clearly got a career in the wrestling world -- as during another WWE appearance on Tuesday, he played the heel role perfectly, taking a swipe at Orlando Magic fans!!

The 24-year-old Indiana Pacers forward stopped by NXT -- the company's developmental brand -- in Orlando with initial goals of helping set up a match contract between Trick Williams and Ethan Page.

Haliburton wasn't alone, though ... he rolled to the squared circle with a ton of his Pacers teammates -- and when the Florida fans weren't happy to see him, he showed off his villain skills on the mic.

The Indiana Fever got a rare victory on Thursday, but Caitlin Clark clearly wasn't satisfied with her performance ... honing her craft with her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, right after the game.

The superstar rookie was caught on video working out on the Gainbridge Fieldhouse court after putting up only 7 points in the Fever's 91-84 win over the Atlanta Dream ... with her man offering up his assistance.

You can see the 6-foot guard taking several mid-range shots while McCaffery played defense ... perhaps to get the not-so-great shooting performance outta her system -- as Clark went 1-6 from three and 3-11 from the field in the contest.

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart showed love to the diehard Knicks fans -- who ride for their squad, win or lose -- after the season-ending game 7 defeat to the Pacers ... showing love to droves of NYK supporters hanging out around the Garden after the game!

Of course, the Knicks and Pacers were tied at 3 games each heading into Sunday's deciding contest. Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton went off, knocking down six threes, and shooting 67% as a team, ending the season for the beaten-up Knicks.

Despite the L in the crucial game, Knicks fans still posted up at The Garden ... and Brunson -- who suffered a fractured left hand during the game -- got out of his car to shake hands with the crowd.

"We killed [Reggie Miller at The Garden.] The whole crowd, 20,000 people. 'F you, Reggie.' I ain't gonna lie, I might have been in on the chat."

That's New York legend, and forever Knicks superfan, Fat Joe ... recounting the insanely loud chant directed at the Pacers legend as game 2 came to a close, and the NY K took a 2-0 series lead.

58-year-old Miller was part of the ESPN broadcast ... and the Hall of Famer wasn't shy, continually taking jabs at Knicks fans throughout the game, reminding the MSG faithful that he "owned" NYC.