"Looks all too familiar": Tyrese Haliburton's fiancée Jade Jones jabs at ESPN experts for facing same fate on Pacers, Fever playoff predictions

Tyrese Haliburton’s fiancee, Jade Jones, poked fun at ESPN’s experts as their predictions for the first-round series featuring the Indiana Fever and Atlanta Dream fell through. All eight reporters doing predictions for the series had picked the Dream to go through in either two games or three.

To many people's surprise, the Fever pulled off the upset to book their place in the semifinals. After winning the series-clinching Game 3, Indiana shared a screenshot of ESPN’s predictions on Instagram and wrote:

“Now you know.”

Many fans flooded the post’s comment section to take a swipe at ESPN. Tyrese Haliburton’s fiancee also got involved, leaving a comment under the post.

“Ooof. This looks all too familiar,” Jones wrote.

Jones’ comment hints at ESPN’s prediction for the Indiana Pacers during the 2025 NBA playoffs. The experts repeatedly picked the Pacers to be eliminated from the playoffs. But Haliburton and Co. silenced doubters, making it to Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

He was key for his team in the postseason, averaging 17.3 points, 8.6 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 23 games. If it wasn’t for Haliburton’s injury during Game 7, the Pacers could have defeated Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder to grab the title. Both Indiana-based basketball teams have proved the experts wrong with their grit and tenacity on the court.

Jade Jones shares a clip of Tyrese Haliburton celebrating the Indiana Fever’s Game 3 win

After cheering on the Fever from the sidelines in Game 2, Tyrese Haliburton continued his support for the team from the comfort of his home. His fiancee shared a clip on her Instagram story, showing Haliburton celebrating the team’s Game 3 win. The video shows the Pacers star shouting in excitement as the Fever closed out the game.

Haliburton celebrating the Fever’s win in Game 3

Kelsey Mitchell led the way for the Fever in the first round, recording 23.3 points and 3.0 assists. The team will face the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals.

The Aces have been in fine form, with A'ja Wilson averaging 25.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in the first round. Jackie Young was also solid, averaging 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Game 1 of the semifinals tips off on Sunday.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by Sameer Khan