No boos, nor eye rolls. Just one subtle, reflexive step forward. When Pascal Siakam was named 2025 Eastern Conference Finals MVP after the Pacers closed out the Knicks in Game 6, Tyrese Haliburton barely flinched—but he did move. The TNT cameras caught it: a smile, a small shuffle forward, and a quiet recalibration. In that split second, it looked like Haliburton expected to hear his name. Instead, it was his teammate’s. And just like that, he clapped, stood tall, and wore the most polished smile in Indiana. Was he disappointed?

Maybe. But not visibly, and certainly not vocally. Now? Others are doing the talking for him. The ex-Knicks player Austin Rivers is one of them. On his Off Guard podcast, he questioned, torched, and dismissed the voting like he’d just been waiting for a moment to speak on the subject.

“It’s absurd that we keep getting these alternative players winning,” Rivers said. “Pascal’s a great player, okay? He had a phenomenal series. I’m not mad he won. I just believe the guy who’s the best player in the team, who leads them in pretty much every statistical category, and is the engine that drives that team… Just give it to Haliburton.”

Rivers wasn’t done. He claimed Tyrese Haliburton himself thought he was going to win. “They’re like, ‘and this guy,’ he was like almost walking towards it,” Rivers said. “And he said Pascal, and he played it off because he’s just an unselfish guy… But like, you know in his heart, he was like, ‘Damn, I didn’t win Finals MVP.’ I don’t wanna be like how they treated Tatum all summer.”

That last line? It wasn’t a throwaway.

Rivers linked this situation to last year’s discourse around Jayson Tatum, who was controversially passed over in favor of his teammate. Well, it’s a pattern he’s tired of seeing. And then came the strongest jab.

“My problem with it all at the end of the day, man, is we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes I feel like there are members of the media who are trying to create stories instead of doing your f—— job. If you have your job to cast a vote… then do it right, man,” he stated. And all this coming from an ex-Knicks player, the team Tyrese himself knocked out of the playoffs. Yeah, that’s an entirely different level of respect and praise!

Tyrese Haliburton, the true MVP in disguise?

The voting breakdown? Nine media members, split. Five went with Pascal Siakam: Tim Bontemps, Dustin Dopirak, Katie George, Fred Katz, and Steve Popper. The other four picked Tyrese Haliburton: Steve Aschburner, Jamal Collier, Reggie Miller, and Joe Vardon. So then, naturally, Rivers wasn’t just ranting, but was pointing fingers.

“Haliburton’s the best player in the Pacers,” he continued. “Haliburton had the better all-over statistics. We don’t need to try to create a story… I think a lot of people don’t like Haliburton. For whatever reason, he rubs people the wrong way.”

That last part? It struck a nerve on social media. Fans debated whether the slight was personal rather than basketball-based. Rivers went as far as to say, “Let’s not act like human beings aren’t human beings, okay? There are emotional responses… you go through emotions of why you don’t like this person. No, I don’t want him to win. That’s what happens.” 

Tyrese Haliburton certainly didn’t feed into the drama. As cameras rolled and Siakam held the MVP trophy, Haliburton clapped and smiled beside him. But online? The moment told a different story. The clip of his brief anticipation went viral. Because Tyrese Haliburton’s 2024-25 average playoff stats speak for themselves — 18.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 9.8 assists! Meanwhile, Siakam’s stats? 21.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.

But that’s not what Rivers or many fans are arguing. They’re saying both can be true—Pascal played great, but Haliburton was the guy. The engine, the connector, and the face! “Come on, man, come on, guys,” Rivers pleaded. “If you’re one of the lucky who have a vote, then do it right.” Tyrese Haliburton may not have the trophy, but he has the receipts. And apparently, nine people hold the pen that drew the line.