Clearly, Myles Turner misspoke, or at least he was less than precise with his language. When he talked about wanting to be in a city where he would be "celebrated," it was easy to see how Indiana fans might think that was a direct shot at them. (Narrator's voice: It was not. He was referencing the front office and Pacers ownership.)

When he made some comments about Tyrese Haliburton, suggesting he's all mouth and no action, that was silly and unnecessary. And given the love this town has for Haliburton, that was received poorly. Very poorly.

Should he have given the Pacers a chance to match? That would have been nice, and par for the course in these types of situations. But he felt disrespected by the Pacers' initial offer, so much so that when the Bucks called and showed him love -- and significantly more money -- he said, "To hell with these people," and accepted the new gig. Whether he had a right to feel that way, I don't honestly know. But he did, and that's why he left. 

He got a little far over his skis since landing in Milwaukee, maybe started feeling his oats with a new gig and a new $108 million contract. Turner has always been quite open and honest about his feelings, and you could sense and hear the hurt in the weeks and months after his move to the Bucks. 

He said this Monday night about the fan response. 

"It was disheartening, man. It was frustrating," he said. "You give 10 years of your life, your blood, your sweat, your tears, you take pay cuts, you survive trade rumors, you try to do everything the right way, and then sometimes stuff shakes out. 

"It's cool, I take it on the chin. A lot of people say things, but I think a lot of people want to formulate their own narratives, spin it to whatever they want it to be, but it is what it is, man. Like I said, you take it on the chin and move on."

Said Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose contested, fadeaway 16-footer at the buzzer gave the Bucks a 117-115 victory: "He had 10 years of service with one franchise. To be able to come to Indiana as the all-time blocks leader, to be booed, he might not say it but it kind of hurt. We're here to pick him up, tell him how much we love him and respect him. We understand how much he gave to Indiana and how much he's going to give to Milwaukee.

"He's a great, great person, great character, great competitor. I played against him for 10 years. I think he gave everything he had: blood, sweat, tears, his body, many times on the line for Indiana...You can boo the Bucks, I understand. But booing Myles Turner, just think about yourself, put yourself in that position."

All that said, I thought the booing was unnecessary and ugly, and reflected poorly on the fanbase. Yes, you have the right to boo. You can boo your own team for all I care. But Turner gave 10 really good years to this franchise, and while he disappeared in the Finals, his play earlier in the post-season run was one of the compelling reasons why the Pacers reached the Finals. 

He was a good, solid player here for a decade, his stock having risen once the Pacers dealt Domantas Sabonis and acquired Haliburton. The pair was deadly in the pick-and-roll game. In the process, we saw Turner flower and become a key cog on a team that reached Game 7 of the NBA Finals. 

I'm more than willing to give Turner grace. If I'm dying on a lonely hill, so be it. It wouldn't be the first time.