The Pacers defeated the Knicks 125-108 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, sending Indiana to the NBA Finals to take on Oklahoma City.
While basketball is a team sport, one player is always recognized as the most important to his team with the Eastern Conference Finals MVP Award. The Pacers were led early on in the series by point guard Tyrese Haliburton, as he not only lit up the stat sheet but also went viral in the way that he taunted the Knicks and put his stamp on big wins early on in the series.
When it came time for the award to be given out, though, it wasn't Hali's name that was called — which appeared to have surprised even the point guard himself.
Here's what happened when the Larry Bird Trophy winner was announced.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Eastern Conference Finals MVP announcement
Ernie Johnson was on the court for the presentation of the Eastern Conference championship trophy to the Pacers. He then presented the Larry Bird Trophy, given to the Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
It went to Siakam, but if you look to the right of the wide shot of the presentation or to the zoomed-in version below, you can see that Haliburton moved between his teammates, seemingly stepping forward to accept the award he thought was his.
LMAOOOO HALI pic.twitter.com/VjcOvuqYCc
— mo🇸🇴 (@easymoneyyMo) June 1, 2025
Pascal Siakam is named Eastern Conference Finals MVP & the recipient of the Larry Bird Trophy 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hsLIZCw7B3
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) June 1, 2025
Can anybody say for sure Haliburton thought he won? Of course not. It's possible he was just stepping forward to get a closer look at his teammate accepting the award.
But even if the point guard did think he was the winner, can anybody blame him? Haliburton had a stellar series, averaging 21 points and 11.5 assists per game. He played the hero with his game-tying buzzer-beater in Game 1, and he had a historic triple-double in Game 4.
Nobody would have been surprised if Haliburton won MVP for the series, but it wasn't overly shocking that Siakam won either.
MORE KNICKS-PACERS:
- Pascal Siakam wins Larry Bird Trophy after big Game 6
- Seldom-used reserve Thomas Bryant comes up big for Pacers in Game 6
- What went wrong for the Knicks vs. Pacers in ECF?
- What's next for the Knicks in pivotal 2025 offseason?
- 'Inside the NBA' crew signs off after final TNT broadcast
Tyrese Haliburton vs. Pascal Siakam Conference Finals stats
If the series had ended in four games, Haliburton likely would have been the one to win the Eastern Conference Finals MVP Award. He was everywhere. Then, in Game 5 he was nowhere. The Knicks adjusted on defense and put more pressure on him, and he struggled. Haliburton started Game 6 the same way, slowly. While he did end up having a great game on the stat sheet in the series finale, it likely was too little, too late for voters.
Siakam, meanwhile, put together consistent performances throughout the Eastern Conference Finals. He did his best to keep Indiana in Game 5 and was instrumental in getting the Pacers going to start Game 6. Siakam may have slowed down toward the end of the game when Haliburton picked it up, but the power forward was the driving force behind the team having such a strong start to the game. He also almost single-handedly won Indiana Game 2 with his 39-point explosion.
Game 1
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
| Tyrese Haliburton | 42 | 31 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 52.2% | 33.3% | 75.0% |
| Pascal Siakam | 43 | 17 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 43.8% | 0.0% | 60.0% |
Game 2
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
| Tyrese Haliburton | 35 | 14 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 31.3% | 30.0% | 50.0% |
| Pascal Siakam | 33 | 39 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 65.2% | 60.0% | 75.0% |
Game 3
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
| Tyrese Haliburton | 37 | 20 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 46.7% | 25.0% | 100% |
| Pascal Siakam | 35 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 60.0% |
Game 4
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
| Tyrese Haliburton | 38 | 32 | 12 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 47.8% | 41.7% | 83.3% |
| Pascal Siakam | 35 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 52.4% | 75.0% | 83.3% |
Game 5
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
| Tyrese Haliburton | 32 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 28.6% | 0.0% | 80.0% |
| Pascal Siakam | 34 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 38.5% | 33.3% | 50.0% |
Game 6
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
| Tyrese Haliburton | 37 | 21 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 52.9% | 40.0% | 100% |
| Pascal Siakam | 36 | 31 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 55.6% | 30.0% | 72.7% |
ECF Per-Game Averages
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
| Tyrese Haliburton | 36.8 | 21.0 | 6.0 | 11.5 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 45.5% | 32.7% | 81.8% |
| Pascal Siakam | 36.0 | 24.8 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 43.8% | 50.0% | 67.4% |