The Indiana Pacers are fully enjoying their advancement to the NBA Finals, a milestone they haven`t reached since 2000.
Indiana secured their spot by defeating the New York Knicks 4-2 in the Eastern Conference finals, concluding the series with a 125-108 victory in Game 6 on Saturday. Their next challenge is the NBA Finals against NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Game 1 scheduled for Thursday.
The decisive Game 6 win was memorable, featuring seven Pacers players scoring in double digits. Pascal Siakam led the team with 31 points and earned the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award. Tyrese Haliburton contributed significantly, especially in the second half, finishing with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
According to research, Haliburton joined Chris Paul and Tim Hardaway as only the third player ever to register over 60 assists with 10 or fewer turnovers in a single series. He is notably the first to accomplish this specific feat in a conference finals.
Indiana faced challenges both on and off the court on their journey to the Finals.
With the Eastern Conference title secured, the Pacers` social media team and Tyrese Haliburton wasted no time in playfully jabbing at the Knicks and their historical rivalry through several notable social media posts.
Pacers Send Knicks Packing
The Pacers have a strong history of playoff victories against the Knicks in the 21st century, having eliminated them in 2000, 2013, 2024, and now 2025.
To highlight their playoff dominance over New York, the Pacers shared a graphic featuring their starting five with iconic New York City skyscrapers, the Empire State Building and One Vanderbilt tower, in the background, referencing their series wins.
Trolling the `Big Apple`
Another post from the Pacers featured images of sports section headlines from newspapers after each of their wins against the Knicks in the series, cleverly playing on New York`s `Big Apple` nickname.
Haliburton`s Choking Gesture Trolls Spike Lee
During Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, Pacers legend Reggie Miller famously directed a choking gesture towards director and prominent Knicks fan Spike Lee at Madison Square Garden. Decades later, in Game 1 of the recent series, Tyrese Haliburton mirrored this gesture after the Pacers mounted a significant comeback from a 14-point deficit late in regulation. The Pacers` social media team quickly highlighted this connection.
Haliburton`s Response to Ben Stiller
Actor Ben Stiller, a well-known Knicks supporter frequently seen courtside, commented on social media about Haliburton`s pre-game arrival outfit for Game 6, which included an all-black look and a black duffle bag. Stiller`s pregame jab was:
`Good thing he brought his duffle for the flight to NY.`
Haliburton`s post-game retort?
`Nah, was to pack y`all up,` clearly directed at the Knicks.
Haliburton vs. Knicks Fans
Knicks fans were reportedly aggressive with their actions throughout the playoffs, including an incident where a Pacers fan wearing a Haliburton jersey was heckled and had garbage thrown at him on a New York street after the Knicks` previous series win against the Celtics.
In response, Haliburton invited the fan to attend Game 4 in Indianapolis. He also demonstrated he hadn`t forgotten the negative interactions by compiling a highlight reel of his performance in the series, seemingly as a final jab.
