Knicks vs. Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton takes swipe at Ben Stiller after Indiana bounces New York from playoffs

Knicks vs. Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton takes swipe at Ben Stiller after Indiana bounces New York from playoffs

Tyrese Haliburtongot the win and the last word. Check back in 25 or 30 years to see if the barbs Haliburton and actor/director Ben Stiller exchanged during the Eastern Conference finals will have the enduring memory of the feud between Reggie Miller and Spike Lee. But in the culture of 2025, theIndiana Pacersstar scored a strong final zinger against theNew York Knickssuperfan. Prior to Saturday's Game 6 matchup, a clip of Haliburton arriving at the Pacers' home arena of Gainbridge Fieldhouse circulated online. The two-time All-Star cut an imposing figure walking down a corridor dressed all in black, referencingthe Knicks doing the samebefore last year's Game 6 playoff matchup. But in response to the video, Stiller focused on the duffel bag Haliburton was carrying. Good thing he brought his duffel for the flight to NY.https://t.co/0vHKAEPHhI — Ben Stiller (@BenStiller)May 31, 2025 "Good thing he brought his duffel for the flight to NY,"Stiller quipped. It was a good line from Stiller, implying the Knicks would win Game 6 and send the series back to Madison Square Garden for a decisive Game 7. But it rang hollow approximately six hours later when the Pacers won,125-108, and eliminated New York from the NBA playoffs. After scoring 21 points with 13 assists, Haliburton responded while celebrating Indiana's victory. "Nah, was to pack y'all up,"he replied, following up an on-court win with a social-media win. Nah, was to pack y'all uphttps://t.co/hhgo9fp8ib — Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22)June 1, 2025 Stiller showed he was a good sport and no hard feelings lingered, wishing Haiburton and the Pacers well in their NBA Finals matchup with theOklahoma City Thunder. "Congrats,"he said. "All the best in OKC." Congrats. All the best in OKC. — Ben Stiller (@BenStiller)June 1, 2025 So will Haliburton start trading digs withany celebrity Thunder fansduring the NBA Finals? Maybe with legendary WWE broadcasterJim Ross? Is "Saturday Night Live" alum and "Barry" star Bill Hader on social media? Would sniping back and forth with actor James Marsden bring the same juice? Perhaps an opponent will rise once the NBA Finals begin on Thursday.

byAdministrator

in

June 01, 2025

Knicks vs. Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton takes swipe at Ben Stiller after Indiana bounces New York from playoffs

Knicks vs. Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton takes swipe at Ben Stiller after Indiana bounces New York from playoffs Tyrese Haliburtongot the win an...

Read More

Iga Swiatek survives early blitz, advances at French Open

Iga Swiatek survives early blitz, advances at French Open

Four-time champion Iga Swiatek survived a scare by rallying to a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over 12th-seeded Elena Rybakina on Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals of the French Open in Paris. The win was the 25th in a row at Roland Garros for the Poland native, tying Monica Seles for the second-longest Parisian winning streak in the Open Era. It was far from easy for Swiatek, who totaled 27 unforced errors over the first eight games of the match -- losing six of them. "The first set, I felt like I was playing against Jannik Sinner," Swiatek said, the defending champion, said. "I just kept fighting." Swiatek rebounded, however, and dispatched Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, in two hours, 30 minutes to set up a quarterfinal match against 13th-seeded Elina Svitolina. The Ukrainian saved three match points and recorded a 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1 win over fourth-seeded Jasmine Paolini of Italy in two hours, 24 minutes. Svitolina dropped the first set and fell behind 5-3 in the second before turning it around. She won seven of the next eight games to change the momentum and ultimately advance to her 13th Grand Slam quarterfinal. "It was, I think, 5-4 or 5-3 at that time when I was two match points down. Of course, it was not usual maybe for her, but also, it's such a pressure moment that sometimes can happen for both of us," Svitolina said of Paolini. "Yeah, I'm very happy I could save another match point on the tiebreak, because tiebreak was very close, and a few points just decided the whole second set." In another match on Sunday, eighth-seeded Qinwen Zheng of China advanced to the French Open quarterfinals for the first time following a 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-3 win over Liudmila Samsonova of Russia. Zheng joined 2011 French Open champion Li Na as the lone Chinese players in the Open Era to reach the women's quarterfinals by turning back Samsonova in two hours, 47 minutes. Zheng relied on her serve, with five of her 10 aces coming in the third set. She will face top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the quarterfinals. Sabalenka defeated 16th-seeded Amanda Anisimova 7-5, 6-3 and has not dropped a set in this tournament. Sabalenka hit 29 winners on the day, including 11 aces. Anisimova didn't go down easily, however. Down 5-2 and serving to stay in the match, Anisimova fought off six break points to hold serve. She faced two more match points, saving one, as Sabalenka served for the win. --Field Level Media

byAdministrator

in

June 01, 2025

Iga Swiatek survives early blitz, advances at French Open

Iga Swiatek survives early blitz, advances at French Open Four-time champion Iga Swiatek survived a scare by rallying to a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 win...

Read More

British rider Simon Yates wins elusive Giro d'Italia title

British rider Simon Yates wins elusive Giro d'Italia title

ROME (AP) — British rider Simon Yates cruised to overall victory in theGiro d'Italiaon Sunday — finally winning the race that had eluded him so often. After attacking on the gravel-road climbto take the pink jersey in the penultimate stage on Saturday, Yates finished nearly four minutes ahead of runner-upIsaac Del Toro, the 21-year-old Mexican who wore pink for 10 days before Yates took control. It's the second Grand Tour title for Yates after he won the Spanish Vuelta in 2018. "It's a defining moment of my career, there's no doubt about that," Yates said. Yates wore pink for 13 days during the 2018 Giro before cracking on one of the final climbs. He also had to withdraw from the Italian race in 2020 and 2022 — because of coronavirus and a knee injury, respectively. "I'm still in shock of what I've done," Yates said. "It's something that I've been working toward for a long time." Yates, who rides for Team Visma Lease a Bike, finished 3 minutes, 56 seconds ahead of Del Toro and 4:43 ahead of Richard Carapaz, the 2019 champion from Ecuador. Dutch rider Olav Kooij, Yates' teammate, won the final stage in a sprint finish. It was his second victory in this Giro after also winning the 12th stage — and third overall after winning one in 2024. "Perfect final weekend for us. After yesterday we were all really happy with what Simon pulled off," Kooij said. "To finish it off is really cool." During the non-competitive neutralized period just before the mostly ceremonial final stage actually began,the peloton passed through the Vatican and was blessed by Pope Leo XIV. The 143-kilometer (89-mile) final stage concluded with a circuit of eight laps through downtown Rome and finished next to the Circus Maximus — the ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium. At age 32, Yates already acknowledged that this victory is "the peak" of his career. His best finish in the Tour de France was fourth in 2023. Twin brothers Yates and his twin brother, Adam, have long been among the peloton's elite. Adam Yates rode this Giro for UAE Team Emirates as a support rider for Del Toro — so was competing against his brother. But the brothers posed arm-in-arm for photos together during the final stage. Before the final stage started, a moment of silence was observed following the death of former Visma rider Robert Gesink's wife. Del Toro top young rider Del Toro finished with the white jersey for the top young rider. Despite his tactical mistakes on Saturday, Del Toro appears to have a promising career ahead of him. This was just his second Grand Tour after placing 36th in the Vuelta last year. "I'm learning," Del Toro said. "I should be happy with myself." Danish rider Mads Pedersen took the maroon jersey for points after winning four stages. Lorenzo Fortunato of Italy took the blue jersey for the mountain classification. ___ AP cycling:https://apnews.com/hub/cycling

byAdministrator

in

June 01, 2025

British rider Simon Yates wins elusive Giro d'Italia title

British rider Simon Yates wins elusive Giro d'Italia title ROME (AP) — British rider Simon Yates cruised to overall victory in theGiro d...

Read More

The NBA Finals are set: It'll be Thunder vs. Pacers, starting Thursday night

The NBA Finals are set: It'll be Thunder vs. Pacers, starting Thursday night

The seeds for the 2025 NBA Finals began getting planted unknowingly in 2017, back when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was about to enroll at Kentucky and Tyrese Haliburton was getting ready for his senior year of high school in Wisconsin. That was the year the Indiana Pacers traded Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers landed Domantas Sabonis out of that deal. The Thunder would trade George in 2019 to the Los Angeles Clippers for a package that included Gilgeous-Alexander. The Pacers would trade Sabonis in 2022 to Sacramento for a package that included Haliburton. And here we are. Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA's MVP and Oklahoma City's best player. Haliburton is an Olympic gold medalist and Indiana's best player. They'll lead their teams into Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night — Indiana at Oklahoma City, the start of a series that will decide who hoists the Larry O'Brien Trophy. "Man, I'm just so proud of this group," Haliburton said in the on-court televised interview with TNT after the Pacers' 125-108 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. "I don't even have words right now. It's really exciting. We'll enjoy this one for now. There's four more, there's a lot more work to do, against a really tough team." The Thunder — depending on how you count — are in the finals for either the second time or the fifth time. The franchise, when it was in Seattle, lost what was then called the NBA World Championship Series to Washington in 1978, then won the title in a rematch against the then-Bullets in 1979 and lost in the NBA Finals to Chicago in 1996. Oklahoma City got to the finals in 2012, losing to Miami. The Thunder are 80-18 this season, after going 68-14 in the regular season and then 12-4 in the playoffs — sweeping Memphis in Round 1, surviving seven games against Denver in Round 2 and then ousting Minnesota in five games for the Western Conference title. "When you win, that's a special thing," Thunder forward Chet Holmgren said. "It's not guaranteed in this league. If everybody was guaranteed to win, it'd be a participation trophy instead of a Larry O'Brien. So, you have to kind of take it in and understand what you've accomplished to that point, but then the next day you have to start turning the page, get rid of the emotions and start focusing on preparation and what you have to do to conquer the next step. And that's where we're at." Indiana is in the NBA title round for the second time, having lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. The Pacers franchise won ABA titles in 1970, 1972 and 1973. They got out of the Eastern Conference as the No. 4 seed, beating Milwaukee in five games in Round 1, beating top-seeded Cleveland in five games in Round 2 and then beating New York in the conference finals. The Pacers were 10-15 through the first 25 games of the season — then went 40-17 to finish the regular season. They are the fourth team to start 10-15 or worse and go on to win a conference title, joining Seattle in 1977-78 (8-17), the 1956-57 St. Louis Hawks (10-15) and the 1958-59 Minneapolis Lakers (10-15). None of those teams went on to win the NBA title. "In 49 states, it's just basketball," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "But this is Indiana. ... Our guys earned this. Congratulations to our guys." Oklahoma City swept the season series with Indiana 2-0, part of a regular season where the Thunder — who finished with the NBA's best record — went 29-1 against the Eastern Conference. That doesn't include a loss to Milwaukee in the NBA Cup final, a game that didn't count in any standings. So, the matchup is set. It's the Paul George finals, albeit without Paul George — who had arguably the best season of his career with the Thunder, averaging 28 points and finishing third in the MVP voting for 2018-19 — starting at OKC on Thursday. "Obviously, he wasn't here long but he had great years here," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Saturday when asked about George's impact. "I mean, one of the best years of his career was here, one of the best individual seasons a player's had here — which is saying something here with the guys they've had. So, I have a lot of respect for him." ___ AP NBA:https://apnews.com/nba

byAdministrator

in

June 01, 2025

The NBA Finals are set: It'll be Thunder vs. Pacers, starting Thursday night

The NBA Finals are set: It'll be Thunder vs. Pacers, starting Thursday night The seeds for the 2025 NBA Finals began getting planted unk...

Read More

'It'll be good for us': Chiefs using Super Bowl 59 defeat as fuel

'It'll be good for us': Chiefs using Super Bowl 59 defeat as fuel

Super Bowl 59 was a bit of an anomaly for some of the Kansas City Chiefs' younger players. The blowout loss was the first time the Chiefs 2022 draft class − players such as Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis and Isiah Pacheco − had ended the season in a defeat. "It definitely serves as motivation going into the season. You never want to end the season like that," Karlaftis said to reporters at OTAs this week. "It's gonna be motivation for this year for sure." Winning has become part of the norm during the Patrick Mahomes era in Kansas City. The franchise has won seven straight AFC West titles and three Super Bowl titles since Mahomes officially became the starter in 2018. (Last year was also theninth consecutive division titlecaptured by the team.) The franchise was a win away from an historic three-peat before it all came crashing down in New Orleans on Feb. 9. As the Chiefs take part in OTAs this offseason, they areusing Super Bowl 59 loss as fuel. "When you lose a Super Bowl, I think there's sometimes in those workouts, you may be a little tired, you have that extra added motivation to finish even harder, finish even stronger. I think it'll be good for us at the end of the day," Mahomes explained. "I mean, obviously looking back, you want to win the game. But a lot these guys hadn't lost one (Super Bowl), hadn't ended the season on a loss that are on this team now. So, I'm sure they'll be motivated to go back out there and try to find a way to get to the Super Bowl and win it this year." Kansas City's offensive woes were a big reason why they were denied a third-straight Super Bowl title. Mahomes was sacked a career-high 36 times (including asingle-game most six times in the Super Bowl), he averaged a career-low 245 passing yards per game and his 26 touchdowns passes equaled a career-low since he became the team's starter. But like any good franchise, the Chiefs responded accordingly. The Chiefs revamped their offensive line by signing tackle Jaylon Moore in free agency, they moved Kingsley Suamataia inside to left guard and drafted tackle Josh Simmons in the first round. Simmons, who suffered a knee injury during his final season at Ohio State, is ahead of schedule in his rehab and is expected to be ready by training camp. The Ohio State product didn't allow a sack before he went down and has impressed thus far in Kansas City. "He's actually further ahead than I thought he was," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said this week of Simmons. "He's done a good job with what we've seen. We just got to get him in with the defense against him." On the outside, wide receiver should get a major boast by Rashee Rice's return to health. When Rice was injured in Week 4, he entered the week as the NFL's leader in catches and was second in yards. Rice worked out with Mahomes before OTA's kicked off and is back to looking like a No. 1 wide receiver. "He looks like Rashee (Rice). Obviously having the injury, it sucked," Mahomes said of Rice. "Happening so early in the season, he was back like right when the offseason started and so he was up here working hard – extremely hard and he was back home working extremely hard. I was throwing with him in Dallas a little bit and then getting him back out here, there's no limitations. He's out there playing, he's making plays on the football field, he's explosive, he looks fast. "I think he can be one of the best receivers in the league. Just to have him, to add with Xavier (Worthy) and Hollywood (Brown) and all these other guys that we have, it's another position I think (general manager Brett) Veach has done a great job of bringing in competition so that we can go out there and make a lot of plays happen." The Chiefs want to make more big pays happen through the air this season. Mahomes told reporters Reid's advised him to push the ball downfield more this season after averaging a career-low 6.8 yards per pass attempt last year. Rice's return to action, alongside of speedsters Worthy and Brown should help the Chiefs become more explosive on offense. "We're fast. I think that's probably the thing that stands out the most," Mahomes said. "Our job is to test the defenses down the field, and we have to get back to doing that if we want to open up other guys underneath. I think coach Reid has challenged me this offseason to push the ball down the field, let guys have chances to make plays and then once we get that back to where we want to in our standard that we believe we should have, then we can come back to the underneath stuff." The Chiefs' leaky O-line and stagnant passing attack are the preeminent reasons why they lost Super Bowl 59. The team's making it known they are motivated to fix the areas this offseason. Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X@TheTylerDragon. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Chiefs using Super Bowl 59 loss as fuel for 2025

byAdministrator

in

June 01, 2025

'It'll be good for us': Chiefs using Super Bowl 59 defeat as fuel

'It'll be good for us': Chiefs using Super Bowl 59 defeat as fuel Super Bowl 59 was a bit of an anomaly for some of the Kansas C...

Read More