Although he considers them staunch rivals, Tyrese Haliburton still has nothing but respect for the New York Knicks.
The Indiana Pacers star offered strong praise for the Knicks' recent title run on The Zach Lowe Show, further expressing his desire to meet them again for a best-of-seven postseason clash.
"I don't want to take away from the run because, like you're saying, it was amazing to watch what they were doing, especially after they lost that Atlanta game," Haliburton said. "Everything from then on was complete dominance. Kudos to them.
"It was an amazing run. I hope that we get to play them again, we get to play in the playoffs, because I want to play the best teams."
Pacers set to reignite rivalry with defending champion Knicks
The New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers have rekindled their old rivalry in recent years, with the latter emerging in the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs and in last year's Eastern Conference Finals.
Tyrese Haliburton made himself a villain in New York as he led the Pacers in multiple remarkable and clutch moments.
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But last season, as the Pacers had to endure a rebuild season in the wake of Haliburton's Achilles tear recovery, the Knicks finally got over the hump and won it all with one of the most dominant playoff runs in NBA history.
Led by Jalen Brunson, the Knicks hammered a 16-3 postseason run by beating the Atlanta Hawks in six games of the opening round, sweeping both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers to reach the NBA Finals, and eventually outlasting Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in five games of the title round.
Tyrese Haliburton wants to face the Knicks again
Now healthy, Tyrese Haliburton couldn't be more determined to run it back and reclaim their place as one of the league's best. Particularly, he wants to face the New York Knicks again for a playoff series.
"Of course, obviously, I want to get to the playoffs and do all these things. I want to play the Knicks, of course, because they're a really good basketball team. And I think a rivalry with the Knicks, like, yes, the Pacers-Knicks is always going to be a thing. And I think rivalries are all for, like, storyline purposes and stuff," Haliburton added.
"I'm looking forward to playing against all these good teams. I would love to play the Knicks in the playoffs again. That calls for good basketball."
The Knicks and the Pacers will square off for the first time in the 2026-27 regular season on Nov. 13 in an NBA Cup group stage matchup at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, followed quickly by a road rematch for the Pacers at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 22.