Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton has spoken out with a clear warning directed at the New York Knicks.
The Indiana Pacers suffered through a brutal 2026-27 NBA season. Just one year removed from a run to the NBA Finals, the team mustered up a 19-63 record in a season marred by injuries.
Tyrese Haliburton missed the entire season after tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. To add insult to injury, the Pacers had to watch the New York Knicks win the NBA Finals. In each of the two previous years, Indiana had eliminated the Knicks from the playoffs.
While last season was painful to watch, the Pacers are hoping to pick up where they left off two years ago. Haliburton will be back for opening night this season and the team as a whole looks like a true championship contender on paper.
Keeping all of that in mind, Haliburton recently spoke out with a very clear warning directed at New York. The rivalry between Indiana and the Knicks has gone on for years. Heading into this season, it will be at its highest level in years.
“When I see them, when they see me on the court, it’s smoke,” Haliburton said. “We hate each other when we’re playing, but after that, it’s love.”
Haliburton said more about New York. He believes the Pacers would have defeated the Knicks if he had been healthy.
“Of course,” he said. “I’m an NBA player. I’m a competitor. Anybody else in my situation would say the same thing.”
Entering this season, all eyes will be on Indiana and New York when the two teams play. The Pacers and Knicks are scheduled to face off for the first time on November 13 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
There are some changes for Indiana from the roster two years ago. Gone are both Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin, two of the biggest role players on the NBA Finals team. To replace them, Kevin Pritchard and the front office have brought in Ivica Zubac and Kelly Oubre Jr.
On paper, both Oubre and Zubac could be upgrades over Turner and Mathurin.
It will be interesting to see what the upcoming season has in store for the Pacers. Everything will begin on October 21 on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans. Indiana will then return home against the Dallas Mavericks on October 23.
Hopefully, the team will be able rebound from last season and get right back to being the team they were in the NBA Finals two years ago.
