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Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson chose sides in a wrestling feud, with Haliburton ultimately sending a more personal message to his Eastern Conference rival.
Haliburton and Brunson attended WWE's Saturday Night's Main Event at Madison Square Garden as guests, each supporting a different contender in the Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins World Heavyweight Championship rivalry: Brunson supported Reigns, and Haliburton supported Rollins.
After the wrestlers' brawl, Haliburton turned his attention to Brunson in the ring.
"You can't beat me," Haliburton told him, a nod to Indiana's playoff history against New York. He added that he'd see Brunson again "in a couple of months," pointing to the start of the 2026-27 season.
The jab comes from last year's Eastern Conference Finals, where the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks en route to the NBA Finals. It's known for Haliburton's Game 1 shot that forced overtime and his choke sign to the Madison Square Garden crowd.
The two star point guards have played a total of 13 playoff games against each other. Haliburton has averaged 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 8.6 assists when facing Brunson in the postseason, while posting an 8-5 record. Meanwhile, Brunson has career averages of 30.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists against Haliburton in the playoffs.
Haliburton nearly led the Pacers to the franchise's first NBA championship before suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the first quarter of Indiana's 2025 Finals loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the series. During the recovery process, a severe shingles outbreak provided an extra challenge.
Brunson and the Knicks went 16-3 through the 2025-26 playoffs and beat the San Antonio Spurs in five games for the franchise's first championship since 1973, with Brunson taking home Finals MVP honors.
Haliburton discussed his health last month at his youth camp in Carmel, Indiana, saying he now feels like a healthy NBA player again. He pointed to his eyebrows growing back and the swelling in his face settling down as signs of how far he's come, and he said just being able to run his camp without fielding questions about his recovery meant a lot after the year he's had.
Indiana expects Haliburton to rejoin training camp, alongside Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Ivica Zubac. Coming off a 19-63 season, the Pacers will look to pull off a dramatic turnaround with the goal of making it out of the Eastern Conference in the playoffs.
Continue reading...
Haliburton and Brunson attended WWE's Saturday Night's Main Event at Madison Square Garden as guests, each supporting a different contender in the Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins World Heavyweight Championship rivalry: Brunson supported Reigns, and Haliburton supported Rollins.
After the wrestlers' brawl, Haliburton turned his attention to Brunson in the ring.
"You can't beat me," Haliburton told him, a nod to Indiana's playoff history against New York. He added that he'd see Brunson again "in a couple of months," pointing to the start of the 2026-27 season.
The jab comes from last year's Eastern Conference Finals, where the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks en route to the NBA Finals. It's known for Haliburton's Game 1 shot that forced overtime and his choke sign to the Madison Square Garden crowd.
The two star point guards have played a total of 13 playoff games against each other. Haliburton has averaged 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 8.6 assists when facing Brunson in the postseason, while posting an 8-5 record. Meanwhile, Brunson has career averages of 30.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists against Haliburton in the playoffs.
Haliburton nearly led the Pacers to the franchise's first NBA championship before suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the first quarter of Indiana's 2025 Finals loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the series. During the recovery process, a severe shingles outbreak provided an extra challenge.
Brunson and the Knicks went 16-3 through the 2025-26 playoffs and beat the San Antonio Spurs in five games for the franchise's first championship since 1973, with Brunson taking home Finals MVP honors.
Haliburton discussed his health last month at his youth camp in Carmel, Indiana, saying he now feels like a healthy NBA player again. He pointed to his eyebrows growing back and the swelling in his face settling down as signs of how far he's come, and he said just being able to run his camp without fielding questions about his recovery meant a lot after the year he's had.
Indiana expects Haliburton to rejoin training camp, alongside Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Ivica Zubac. Coming off a 19-63 season, the Pacers will look to pull off a dramatic turnaround with the goal of making it out of the Eastern Conference in the playoffs.
Continue reading...
