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Tyrese Haliburton trolls Ben Stiller after Pacers eliminate Knicks in Eastern Conference finals

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News on

Published in Basketball

Tyrese Haliburton didn’t skip another chance to troll Knicks fans.

After his Indiana Pacers eliminated the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, Haliburton took aim at actor and Knicks superfan Ben Stiller.

Stiller had commented on a video showing Haliburton’s arrival for Game 6, writing on social media, “Good thing he brought his duffel for the flight to NY.”

Had the Knicks won on Saturday night, the series would have shifted back to Madison Square Garden for Game 7.

But the Pacers won, 125-108, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, setting up a response from Haliburton, who wrote to Stiller that he brought the duffel bag “to pack y’all up.”

The Pacers will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, with the series set to begin Thursday night.

“Congrats,” Stiller wrote back to Haliburton. “All the best in OKC.”

The brief back-and-forth marked the latest instance of Haliburton taunting the Knicks.

After Indiana eliminated the Knicks in the second round last year, Haliburton wore a hoodie with an image of Reggie Miller making his infamous “choke” sign to Spike Lee during the 1994 Eastern Conference finals.

And in Game 1 of this year’s conference finals, Haliburton did that same choke taunt after his game-tying buzzer beater capped a 17-point fourth-quarter comeback and forced overtime at the Garden.

Haliburton, 25, averaged 21.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game in the conference finals. He finished with 21 points and 13 assists in Game 6.

 

The New York-born Stiller, 59, attended Knicks games, home and away, throughout this year’s playoff run.

During Game 4 in Indianapolis, ESPN and WWE commentator Pat McAfee attempted to rile up Pacers fans by calling out Stiller and other high-profile Knicks fans in attendance.

“We got some bigwigs from the big city in the building,” McAfee, a former Indianapolis Colts punter, said on the in-game host’s microphone in an untelevised address. “Spike Lee is here. Ben Stiller is here. Timothée Chalamet is here. Let’s send these sons of b— back to New York with their ears ringing!”

Stiller initially called the moment “weird,” while Rock & Roll Hall of Famer John Mellencamp — an Indiana native — said he was “embarrassed” to witness it.

The moment perpetuated the “Knicks vs. Hicks” rivalry that raged between the teams during the 1990s, with the phrase being immortalized by a New York Daily News back page headline.

Stiller then invited McAfee to Game 5 at the Garden. McAfee did not attend, saying he had a scheduling conflict and that he was “not paying $70,000 for a ticket.”

Miller, meanwhile, also needled Knicks fans after the Pacers’ win on Saturday. Miller, who was part of TNT’s broadcast team for the series, wore all black to Game 6.

“Dressed in all black like the OMEN!!” Miller wrote on Instagram. “Congratulations to my beloved @pacers for their 2nd trip to the @nba Finals. I also want to congratulate the @nyknicks for another hard fought series, have ZERO ill will towards [that] organization.

“BUUUTTTTT, to all the fake a– NY fans and celebrities not named @officialspikelee and @tracymorgan, enjoy your nice Summer Cancun vacation.”


©2025 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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