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J.J. Post, ESPN
From intense Game 7s to dominant sweeps, almost every 2024 NBA postseason series has included a memorable moment.
One constant throughout all the games? The trash talk quality is strong. Luka Doncic‘s passionate outburst after his game-winning 3 in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals is yet another example of players’ mouths matching their performances.
Here is some of the best trash talk from the NBA postseason so far.
Doncic gets in Rudy Gobert‘s ear after dagger 3
Doncic is no stranger to trash talk in the biggest moments, most notably when he took a shot at Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker before rallying the Dallas Mavericks to a series win over the Suns in 2022. This season, Doncic led the Mavericks to a Finals appearance with some fireworks along the way.
In Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, the Mavs trailed late and turned to Doncic to deliver the game winner on the road. Their star guard delivered, shaking off Gobert to set up a go-ahead 3-pointer.
After the shot, Doncic had plenty of words for Gobert. He disputed the efforts of potential lip-readers to determine their contents, saying he was speaking in his native Slovenian — but regardless of what was said, Gobert heard them.
Luka 🤣 pic.twitter.com/upjTHQiH4l
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 25, 2024
‘Myles is a good kid’
Tempers flared in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals between Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown and Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers. The two exchanged shoves after a Turner foul on Celtics guard Derrick White.
Boston would go on to pull out the 105-102 victory to complete Boston’s sweep of the Pacers. After the game, the Eastern Conference finals MVP downplayed the incident — theorizing that Turner wanted to assert himself with his family watching. The irony of the “good kid” quip? Turner, 28, is seven months older than Brown.
The Minnesota Timberwolves were in torrid form in the early playoff rounds, advancing to the Western Conference finals for the first time since the 2003-04 season. At the center of it all was Edwards, who made a statement when he averaged 31 points per game in Minnesota’s opening-round sweep of the Suns.
Edwards did more than just excel on the court. The Wolves’ young star provided a lightning rod of energy for his team, most notably through his passionate trash talk. Be it some words for Suns forward Kevin Durant after a big bucket, hitting the DX celebration against the Suns in Game 3, or his goodbye wave to the Denver Nuggets crowd following a Game 7 win in the semifinals, Edwards brought plenty of competitive fire to Minnesota’s playoff run.
Tyrese Haliburton trolls the Knicks after Game 7 win
The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers delivered another classic series to go with a number of memorable clashes in the past. The Pacers eventually came out on top, powered by a historic shooting performance at Madison Square Garden in the series’ decisive game. Haliburton scored a team-high 26 points in the win.
After the game, he made sure to remind Knicks fans of an iconic moment in the rivalry’s prior playoff history. Haliburton arrived at the postgame news conference donning a sweatshirt featuring Pacers legend Reggie Miller and the iconic “choke” gesture he made after scoring eight points in 8.9 seconds to rally Indiana to a Game 5 win at the Garden in 1994.
Tyrese Haliburton in a Reggie Miller sweatshirt after winning Game 7 at the Garden 😈 pic.twitter.com/TKuOc3t1zu
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 19, 2024
Josh Hart makes sure Miller hears the crowd
A staple of Pacers-Knicks playoff feuds, Miller is no stranger to the lights of Madison Square Garden. And New York fans are plenty familiar with the star-guard-turned-broadcaster as well.
Unsurprisingly, it was something of an awkward reunion when Miller put on the headset at the Garden to call the most recent edition of the rivalry. The Knicks would take Games 1 and 2 at home, and made sure Miller knew all about it following the final whistle at Game 2’s conclusion. And the New York faithful got some help in getting their message across from the team’s do-it-all guard, Josh Hart.
Mavericks forward PJ Washington had a busy Game 3. He brought the Dallas home crowd to its feet by staring down the LA Clippers‘ bench after a skirmish at the center of the court, and was ejected later on after exchanging shoves with Russell Westbrook.
Needless to say, Paul George remembered that pose in the ensuing Game 4, recreating the arms-crossed stance after cashing a 3 over Washington. George and the Clippers would stave off a furious Mavericks comeback to win the game, but Washington & Co. would have the last laugh with a six-game series victory.
Paul George hit PJ Washington’s pose from Game 3 😂 pic.twitter.com/HBfAyoSFwL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 28, 2024
Jimmy Butler throws it back to last season
Two first-round series this postseason were rematches of last year’s conference finals, with the Los Angeles Lakers squaring off against the Nuggets and the Miami Heat looking to once again take down the Celtics.
After the Celtics cruised to a Game 1 victory, the Heat responded with a Game 2 upset win in Boston. Butler — out for the series because of injury — took to Instagram to reference a quote from the Celtics’ Brown in last year’s series after Boston staved off a sweep in Game 4.
The Celtics would take the 2023 conference finals to a decisive seventh game before a 19-point Miami win sealed their fate. The 2024 Heat weren’t able to replicate that success, however, as Boston won each of the next three games to take the series in five.