“It’s a long f**king series” – When Jalen Brunson warned Tyrese Haliburton against trash-talking in Game 4 of 2024 East semis

With the New York Knicks’ win over the Boston Celtics on Friday, the stage has been set for a rematch against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers. Last season, the two teams collided in the second round of the playoffs, with Haliburton and the Pacers winning a seven-game series as Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks battled through injuries.

During the series, which went all seven games, Tyrese Haliburton was heard on a hot mic talking trash Jalen Brunson and the Knicks in the midst of a blowout Game 4 win.

At the time, Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers were in the midst of evening up the series. After dropping the first two games of the series, Indiana managed to rattle off back-to-back wins in Games 3 & 4.

At one point during the game, on-court audio appeared to capture Haliburton talking some trash after knocking down a pair of 3-pointers:

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"You can’t f**k with me … Can’t guard me. No, no!"

After the game ended, Brunson was then caught on the same hot mic as saying:

"It's a long f*****g series."

After Indiana went on to eliminate the Knicks, Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson had another run-in on WWE's SmackDown, with the viral moment resurfacing again ahead of this year's Eastern Conference finals matchup.

"You've got to be very disciplined" - Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau opens up on highly anticipated rematch against Tyrese Haliburton and Indiana Pacers

When Tom Thibodeau's New York Knicks faced off with the Indiana Pacers in last year's NBA playoffs, the team was without several key players in OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic.

While Jalen Brunson downplayed the situation, stating at the time that in the playoffs, there are no excuses, it's hard to deny the impact that injuries had on Thibodeau's Knicks.

Heading into a highly anticipated rematch, the veteran coach spoke with members of the press about matching up against the Pacers following Friday's closeout win at Madison Square Garden.

"They're an excellent basketball team, strong on both sides of the ball ... They can push it and they can break it down off the dribble, so you've got to be very disciplined in your approach. They can spread you out. Siakam and Turner are very talented bigs, so we understand what the challenge is."

Throughout the regular season, the Knicks went 2-1 against the Pacers, picking up a 123-98 win in their first meeting early on in the season, before coming up short in a rematch less than two weeks later.

In their most recent meeting on Feb. 11, the Knicks picked up a big 128-115 win, with Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns combining for 70 points.

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About the author

Evan Bell

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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