May 2, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) dribbles the ball during game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
NBA: Playoffs-Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers
(New York, NY) – The New York Knicks upcoming series with the Indiana Pacers will likely be defined by point guard play.
It’s no secret that Jalen Brunson is the heart and soul of the Knicks – and more or less their first, second, and third offensive option. For the Pacers, Olympic-team member Tyrese Haliburton keys an up tempo attack that looks to run as much as possible.
But Haliburton’s not thinking about pretty dime passes or long, high-arcing threes. He’s anticipating a knock-em-down, drag-em-out type of series. Perhaps it’s fair to say he sees a little bit of the 90’s Knicks tough defensive style in this year’s New York squad – as the two longtime playoff rivals plan to renew pleasantries at MSG.
As the Pacers boarded the team plane and left Indianapolis for the Big Apple, Haliburton wore a jersey from one of the city’s other big stars – Quenton Nelson, the standout Indianapolis Colts guard. Haliburton is in fact prepping for a series that might be more appropriately played at the Meadowlands, rather than Midtown Manhattan.
“I mean it’s no secret how hard (the Knicks) play. No secret how hard everybody crashes the glass,” Haliburton observed. That’s when he noted the football connection: “I keep telling guys I’m watching Quenton Nelson film preparing for this, for this series. Just being ready to box out, and, it’ll be exciting for everybody. And I think this is what you live for. You know these guys play super hard.”
The Pacers will be counting on their bench for big minutes and plenty of their scoring. That’s a contrast from the Knicks, who utilize a comparatively short rotation of players under head coach Tom Thibodeau.
“They don’t play a ton of guys,” Haliburton explains. But that doesn’t diminish their aggressive style: “And, they’re just balls to the wall at all times. So we just gotta match their intensity and be ready to play our style of basketball.”
Which for Haliburton and the Pacers is similarly intense – in a different way.
It all gets started 7:30 Monday night at the Garden.
