It’s a maxim as old as the game itself, whether on an asphalt pickup court or at the NBA Finals — whenever a stolen basketball is involved, there’s going to be bad blood.
As the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers prepare to open their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series on Saturday, juicy storylines and contentious history abound. After a December 2023 home win over Indiana, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was incensed when the game ball from his career-best and franchise-record 64-point performance mysteriously disappeared. After briefly heading toward the locker room, Antetokounmpo quickly did a 180, returning to the court to confront several Pacers coaches and their star point guard, Tyrese Haliburton. Meanwhile, multiple Bucks approached the Indiana locker room looking for the basketball … and possibly a bit of trouble.
Afterward, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle admitted that his team took the ball in order to give it to two-way center Oscar Tshiebwe, who had logged his first NBA point. The explanation, understandably, was not met with enthusiasm by the Bucks contingent.
Things had already been testy between the two teams. Just a week prior, Haliburton had mimicked Bucks point guard Damian Lillard’s signature
Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t be distracted by testy Bucks-Pacers history, explains why even losing is ‘win-win’
