The Indiana Pacers want to take care of a fan who had a bad day in New York. That fan, Hans Perez, wound up going viral after he was pelted with garbage for wearing a Tyrese Haliburton jersey in New York.
With the Pacers set to meet the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday, New York fans weren’t on board with that decision. Multiple people threw bags of garbage at Perez in a clip which has circulated on social media.
Perez appeared on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, where Haliburton made a surprise appearance to give Perez some good news.
Turns out, the Pacers are inviting Perez to Indiana for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. Haliburton told Perez the team would fly him out and put him up for a night so he can attend the game. Perez can bring a guest with him for the experience.
Perez — who showed off a Pacers tattoo on his arm earlier in the interview — was pumped about that development. He thanked Haliburton for the invite and gave an enthusiastic “Let’s go Pacers” chant.
The Pacers and Knicks won’t get things started until Wednesday. The first two games of the series will take place in New York before the action goes to Indiana. It’s the first time since 2000 the Knicks have reached the Eastern Conference finals. The Pacers made it to the conference finals last season, but were defeated by the Boston Celtics.
The series sets up a rematch from last year’s playoffs. To make it to the 2024 Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers had to go through the Knicks. The series went seven games, with the Pacers coming out on top.
Wednesday’s Game 1 could set up yet another excellent series, with the winner getting a chance to win its first championship since the 1970s.
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