May 27, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) reacts after shooting a three point basket during the second quarter against the New York Knicks of game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
May 27, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) reacts after shooting a three point basket during the second quarter against the New York Knicks of game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
The Indiana Pacers’ superstar Tyrese Haliburton recently sat down with Speedy Mormon of Boardroom and opened up about what it felt like to watch their rivals, the New York Knicks, win the 2026 NBA championship while he sat on the sideline, recovering from a ruptured right Achilles tendon that kept him out all season.
Haliburton admitted he had mixed feelings: he was happy for his friends Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Karl-Anthony Towns, but his competitive side wanted to turn off the TV.
“I don’t know, bro. I mean, like, do I think if I was healthy and we played them, would we win? Of course. I’m like, I’m an NBA player. I’m a competitor. Anybody else in my situation would say the same thing. But like, what they did in the playoffs was special.”
“Like, I don’t want anybody to demean or put down what that was, cause that was like, crazy. The whole run from, like, the Hawks series on was unbelievable. And, like, it was mixed feelings, you know, because, like, the Knicks- are they our rival? Yes. But, like, are those guys, like, I like those guys and they’re friends? Yeah,” Tyrese Haliburton explained.
“At the same time, you know, I usually watch, like, a Finals celebration. Like, when I have before in my life, like, I always got to watch cuz that’s a special thing and like an emotional thing to watch guys win a championship and then celebrate with their families.”
“Like, I’m always like, ‘Man, that’s fire.’ But when the Knicks won, I thought to myself, ‘I got to turn this s–t off.’ Like, I can’t watch it.’ But, you know, I told myself, because I was with wifey and some friends, and they were like, ‘You want us to turn it off?’ And I was like, ‘You know what? Leave it on. Like, let me watch it,'” Tyrese Haliburton said.
“And to see Jalen Brunson celebrate with Ali, his wife, who, like, my wife and I are friends with them, and Ali and Jade are really close. To see that, I was like, ‘That’s awesome to see.’ You know what I mean?”
“Like, I was happy for him. To see Josh up there with his twins. Like, that was cool to see. Like, to see Karl up there with Jordyn. That was awesome to see, cuz these are all guys that I like. You know what I’m saying?”
“So, it’s like, it’s a weird feeling cuz like, are they our rivals? Yes. And like, people are going to hear this, this clip’s going to go, and they’re going to be like, ‘Man, the NBA’s so soft. It’s not what it used to be,’ yada yada. Sure. But like, when I see them, when they see me on the court, it’s smoke,” Haliburton further explained.
“They don’t want, like, we hate each other when we’re playing, but like, after that, it’s love. So, like, it was interesting. It was like a weird feeling. I feel like I felt every emotion. I was angry. But I was also happy.”
“I was sad that, like, I didn’t get the opportunity to, like, compete in that. I felt every emotion in that. So, it was like a weird, a weird thing, but happy for those guys, and I look forward to being back,” Tyrese Haliburton concluded.
Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers to the 2025 NBA Finals after defeating the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. He averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 assists, and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 45.5% from the field and 32.7% from the three-point line in that series.
So seeing the same team they defeated last season win the championship with a similar roster is bound to hurt Haliburton. Part of him would naturally feel that if he could lead his team to defeat this roster a year ago, what stops him from doing it again this season?
At the same time, he’s happy to see his friends celebrating with their families and loved ones. The paradox of elite competition is captured in Tyrese Haliburton’s candid honesty: intense rivalry on the court does not eliminate true friendship.
His competitive spirit stung to watch the Knicks celebrate, but he couldn’t deny he was happy for Brunson, Hart, and Towns. That mix of admiration and jealousy will fuel his comeback as he recovers, motivated to show the Pacers can contest for the title once again.