The Indiana Pacers watched a major scare during Game 5. Tyrese Haliburton walked into the locker room early against the Oklahoma City Thunder. And earned a “scared” label from Kendrick Perkins.

Haliburton suffered a calf ailment in the Monday NBA Finals matchup. Perkins, however, saw a star who needed to sit. These words got caught by “Big Perk” during halftime.

“Sit him down,” Perkins bluntly said. “Sit him down because I don't want to hear anymore excuses.”

Perkins continued to rip Haliburton.

“If you're on the floor, you need to produce. Because this is the NBA Finals and this is Game 5,” Perkins said.

He also doubled down with his belief that “Hali” was playing scared inside the Paycom Center.

“He's going east-to-west instead of north-to-south,” Perkins said.

Fans blast Kendrick Perkins for Tyrese Haliburton comments

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) walks back to the team bench in the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game five of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center.
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Perkins' words sparked multiple reactions online. Fans didn't take long to roast the NBA analyst.

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“I would pipe down,” basketball journalist Ahmar Khan said on X, all while posting Perkins' NBA Finals stats.

Another fan lit into ESPN for having Perkins on as a halftime analyst. Calling the halftime show “worthless” while on X.

One more fan believed Perkins crossed a line with his rant.

“I will never watch another show or I will mute the TV whenever Kendrick Perkins is on your network. He crossed the line tonight. His contempt for Haliburton seems personal,” the fan directed toward the ESPN NBA X account.

Perkins is known for his verbose, yet bluntly brutal, takes during NBA broadcasts. Even fellow ESPN colleague Richard Jefferson roasted Perkins for a previous Haliburton quip.

This isn't the first time Perkins criticized Haliburton. Perkins believed Pascal Siakam earned Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player honors over “Hali.”

Haliburton, though, managed to return to the lineup to start the third quarter. Although he wasn't much of a scoring option as the Pacers dealt with multiple deficits.