The Indiana Pacers’ run to the NBA Finals last season was something out of a Hollywood movie, and weirdly enough, involved a lot of celebrities. The underdog team crossed paths with many famous faces throughout the playoffs and got into a dispute with everyone from Ben Stiller to Timothée Chalamet. The Pacers were taking shots at all courtside celebs, which inadvertently led to Miles Teller getting caught in the crossfire.
Teller brought the story up during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, in which he was shown a picture from Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. In it T.J. McConnell gestured to him that he had “ice in his veins” after hitting a 3-pointer despite it not being his forte. After being shown a picture of the moment, the actor gave some context behind the situation, and the hilarious reaction his wife had:
To be fair, I was filming a movie in New York — I’m not a Knicks fan, so I wasn’t taking it as to heart as it’s coming across in that photo. He’s doing, ‘I just hit a three, I got ice in my veins.’ It’s funny because a couple days before my wife and I, we went to our little nephew’s 10-year-old basketball game…If they hit a shot they’re going, ‘I’m him! I’m him! Ice in my veins.’ Keleigh was like, ‘Oh he’s doing what Brian does.’ I said, ‘It’s the other way around.’
It’s pretty hilarious that Miles Teller’s wife thought that NBA superstars were mimicking the taunts of children, but I see where she’s coming from. It’s also amusing that Teller was on the receiving end of the taunt, despite being a bystander with no particular allegiance to the New York Knicks or Indiana Pacers.
Of course, Teller was probably caught in the mix because Timothée Chalamet is a diehard Knicks fan and was seated beside Teller. Knicks fans even believed that his girlfriend Kylie Jenner was a good luck charm, and kept pushing her to attend games so they could continue to win.
In any case, the actor doesn’t appear to be upset by what happened. In fact, he was so happy that Jimmy Fallon had a picture of the moment he asked if he could hang it up in his home. It’s good to see one celebrity walk away from that series with fond memories, as even Indiana native John Mellencamp got worked up watching that series.
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t expect to see the Pacers moving with such swagger in 2025, unless readers are watching Starting 5 Season 2 with a Netflix subscription. The team currently has only one victory this season, thanks to a litany of injuries, including the absence of star player Tyrese Haliburton for the entire regular season. As a fan of the team, I’m sad that we won’t get another Hoosiers-like run again this season, but I’m sure more than a few fans in New York are breathing easy.
Miles Teller is going to be busy on the upcoming movie schedule, as he’s set to appear in the Michael movie, in addition to other projects. As for the NBA, the season is currently going on, and who knows who will be in the mix come playoff time?
