Bobby Portis continues war of words between the Bucks and Pacers

On Tuesday night, the Indiana Pacers tied up their series against the Milwaukee Bucks with a 125-108 Game 2 victory. This was a scrappy win for the Pacers, who outscored the Bucks by 12 points in the paint and even led by as much as 23 at one point in the game.

Pascal Siakam finished with 37 points, leading the Pacers on offense. Damian Lillard had 34 points for the Bucks. Along with the Bucks and Pacers offensive onslaught, this game also featured a significant amount of trash-talk, physicality, and even technical fouls. However, not every Milwaukee Buck appreciated the Pacers' aggressive energy.

Following the game, Bucks forward Bobby Portis spoke with The Athletic's Eric Nehm about the Pacers' demeanor in Game 2. Nehm asked Portis if their approach was a strategy to help fuel their performance on the road. Safe to say, Portis had a few choice words for the Indiana Pacers, with his response echoing the legendary MJ soundbite.

Bobby Portis continues war of words between the Bucks and Pacers

"I mean, just quite frankly, they're frontrunners, bro," Portis said. "Y'all can just tweet that or whatever it is, bro. When the shit going good, they laughing, clapping all that. When it's going bad, they not saying nothing." Portis explained, "When you're making shots, you feel good. But when the tough [gets] going, you can't get nothing going."

One moment in particular stands out during Game 2, which is when Portis engaged in a particularly intense and kind of amusing 'clap battle' with Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard.

Per @HeavenlyBuckets on Twiter/X:

Keep in mind, Nembhard and Haliburton only combined for 15 points in Game 1. Now look at them, clapping in Bobby Portis' face, with the series tied. This seems to be Portis' argument in a nutshell. Jokes on them though, because clapping in Portis' face is like taunting a shark with blood.

Portis did give the Pacers their credit, saying, "They're supposed to feel good. They were hitting shots. They gameplanned really well." But, Portis ultimately reminded Indiana that this series is far from over, with his finals words being, "Game 3 on the way friday."

This postseason, Portis averages 14.5 points, 11 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 41.9% from the field. By all appearances, this Pacers-Bucks rivalry is legit. Good news is, things are only heating up.