What the Helly: Best Moments of the NBA Playoffs So Far
- Elsa Olano
- 8 hours ago
- 5 min read
The first game of the NBA Finals took place yesterday and with the season coming to an end, needless to say, this year’s playoffs offered us quite the entertainment. Even if you’re not a basketball enthusiast, you probably couldn’t miss some of the following moments that, for a few of them, turned into trends or memes.
What the Helly
The Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton has been the player to watch throughout the whole playoff series and after the clutch shot he pulled off last night (again!), it is now a no-brainer. The Pacers might be considered the outsider of these NBA Finals, but Haliburton is already familiar with competition and pressure. He was part of Team USA during the Paris 2024 Olympics Games even though he was benched most of the time and had a limited role with the team, as he only played 26 minutes in total. Since then, he has often been overlooked as a player and has even regularly been made fun of. The Indiana guard was ready to prove people wrong and get his revenge, and the playoffs are showing us just that.
Besides his performance on the court, his rising popularity got some help from … a song! In late March, rapper Rob49 released a song called “WTHELLY” in which he name dropped numerous celebrities: “What the helly, Berry? / What the helly, Burton? / What the helly, 'Bron James? / What the helly Cyrus?” The entire Pacers team made good use of that line, inviting the rapper to sit courtside at one of the Pacers' games and sharing pics or videos of Haliburton either rapping to the song or wearing shirts with the catchphrase “What the Helly” on them. The viral hit is now the Pacers’ anthem, and who knows? It might be the lucky charm for Indiana to win the Championship.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander MVP Acceptance Speech
It’s a great year for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the 6 '6’’ guard from OKC Thunder: his team just won the Western Conference Finals, where he was named the Western Conference Finals MVP, and the Thunder is now competing for the Championship. On May 21st, he was also voted 2024-2025 Kia MVP, a title coveted by most players as it rewards their performance during the entire regular season.
During his acceptance speech, SGA thanked his wife Hailey Summers in an emotional and heartwarming tribute. “Thank you for everything you are for me, for our son Ares. You were the first person to show me what love really meant (...) I wouldn’t be the player I am, I wouldn’t be the father, I am without you,” he declared. They might not be the most exposed couple online, and Hailey might not be the most active person on social media, but they have been going strong for a long time now (seven years), and Hailey has been showing support since day one.
Lakers in 5
The Los Angeles Lakers, as well as their star player LeBron James, are one of the most famous teams in the league. You can either love it or hate it, but one thing is for sure: you will hear about it! You could search online for “LeBron songs,” and you would find many remixes of popular songs like Promiscuous to Talking to the Moon or even Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson, which became Man on the Lakers. However, it was a catchphrase that made quite the talk at the beginning of the playoffs. Given that it was not the Lakers’ best season, the hype and the hope of being in the first round led to a now iconic trend: Lakers in 5.
It all started when Shannon Sharpe predicted the Lakers would win their first-round series against the Timberwolves in five games. Sharpe said it in a usual way that was both confident and fun: “OKC, KFC, UFC… Lakers in 5!” He then made it a running joke that turned the whole thing into a viral talking point. That’s why you have probably heard “FGA, PGA, USA… Lakers in 5!” or “Chris Paul, Cliff Paul, Jake Paul, Logan Paul… Lakers in 5!” Unfortunately for Sharpe and the Lakers fans, the Lakers lost to the Timberwolves 4-1.
Pistons Won Again
The Detroit Pistons were, without a doubt, the underdogs of this year’s Playoffs. They had a remarkable season before securing their spot in the first round as they became the first team in NBA history to triple their win total from the previous season (14 to 48 wins out of 82 games). Between 2009 and 2024, the Pistons only reached the Playoffs three times, and their last appearance was in 2019. Even if they didn’t make it past the first round and lost to the New York Knicks 4-2, they played good basketball and had an amazing team chemistry. That was all the ingredients needed so their social media team could create successful storytelling around the Pistons, and it worked! They ended up with their own song, “Pistons Won Again,” that became part of every video they did after a win during the whole season (regular and playoffs).
Honorable Mentions
Jimmy Butler and Buddy Heild Duo
Media and fans always love a dynamic duo, and sometimes you can find it off the court too.
Jimmy Butler is a former Miami Heat forward who was traded to the Golden State Warriors earlier this year after weeks of discussion, rumors and internal turmoil. He rapidly proved his value to the team, and it’s safe to say that he really fits into the Warrior’s spirit. On the court Jimmy Butler seemed to form a powerful duo with Stephen Curry, calling themselves Batman and Robin.Off the court, the bond between Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield didn’t go unnoticed during press conferences and interviews. Their chemistry is qualified as “bromance” or “comedy gold,” and it shows off through jokes and a friendly rivalry. They roast each other at any given opportunity, and sometimes it’s on their own social media, like that one time when Butler shared a post-win pic thanking Batman (Stephen Curry) and the rest of the team but explicitly excluding Buddy Hield. But Hield never misses a chance to clap black, always in the funniest way possible.
Injuries
If we are talking strictly about the game, we can say that injuries played a huge part in the unexpected events that took place during the 2025 Playoffs. Two of the biggest news that left a mark on these past few weeks are Curry and Jayson Tatum’s injuries. The Warriors really fought for their place in the playoffs, and things were off to a great start after they defeated the Houston Rockets 4-3 in the first round. They were facing the Minnesota Timberwolves in game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals when Curry injured his hamstring. Sadly for the team, he did not come back on the court, and the Warriors were eliminated. Around the same time, Tatum from the Boston Celtics was wheeled off, suffering a right Achilles tendon tear that ended his season. The Celtics were up against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals when that happened, and following that incident, the 2024 Champions were also eliminated.
