Pacers Star Tyrese Haliburton Throws Shade at the Knicks Before NBA Finals

The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks have a longstanding rivalry. Over the last couple of years, that rivalry has grown to new heights.

Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers have eliminated the Knicks out of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. He has become public enemy number one in New York.

Unfortunately for Indiana, the team struggled throughout the 2025-26 NBA season. The Pacers ended up going just 19-63 one year removed from taking the Oklahoma City Thunder to Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Those struggles were due to Haliburton missing the entire season after tearing his Achilles in Game 7.

As for the Knicks, they are heading to the Finals and will face the winner of the Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs series.

Ahead of the NBA Finals, Haliburton has spoken out and thrown shade at the fans in New York.

During an appearance on the "Pat McAfee Show," Haliburton was asked about his opinion on Oklahoma City and Knicks fans. He didn't hesitate to throw a subtle shot.

“I think OKC does a great job of having like a college environment in there,” Haliburton said. “It’s pretty ridiculously loud, so I would say it’s the best environment.”

Those were glowing words about the Thunder fan base. His comments about New York fans did not come across nearly the same.

“New York has a lot of passionate fans, and a lot of people love the Knicks,” he said. “But there’s a lot of celebrity fans in there, and sometimes they’re too cool to get super loud. Whereas OKC gets loud, I don’t know if it’s as loud as OKC.”

Haliburton's comments will further stir up the rivalry between the two Eastern Conference teams. With a full offseason of getting healthy, the Pacers should be back to being a championship contender next year.

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what the NBA offseason has in store for Indiana. It will also be interesting to see whether or not the Knicks can pull off a win over either Western Conference powerhouse when the Finals arrive.