Tyrese Haliburton Reveals He's Friends with Jalen Brunson but 'Not Supposed to Say It'
Despite upsetting the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is actually friends with their best player.
Speaking to reporters after the Pacers' dramatic 138-135 overtime victory (starts at 8:40 mark), Haliburton praised Jalen Brunson for being a great player while adding the two are friends even though he's "not supposed to say" it since they're competing against each other right now.
Haliburton, who's known for his love of professional wrestling, has embraced a heel persona throughout this postseason. Some of it wasn't his own doing, as his father got into a verbal altercation with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first round of the playoffs.
After the Pacers erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit against the Knicks when Haliburton hit a game-tying shot to force overtime at the buzzer, he paid homage to Reggie Miller by giving a choking sign.
The Pacers would secure the win in overtime, stealing home-court advantage from the Knicks in the process. Haliburton finished with 31 points and 11 assists in 43 minutes.
Brunson did all he could to help the Knicks get a win. The two-time All-Star had a game-high 43 points in 38 minutes.
Even though Haliburton has a knack for getting under the skin of opposing teams and their fans, not every player will be so annoyed by his antics to label him overrated.
In fact, Haliburton and Brunson stepped into the wrestling ring against each other last summer during an episode of Friday Night SmackDown at Madison Square Garden. Haliburton's attempt to help aid Logan Paul in a triple-threat match against LA Knight and Santos Escobar was foiled by Brunson.
Admitting he is friends with Brunson is a bad job of maintaining kayfabe by Haliburton, but sometimes heels think someone likes them, only to eventually get foiled by the babyface.
That would certainly be the way Brunson hopes things play out going forward, but WWE isn't scripting this series as far as we know. Triple H has teased something for SummerSlam at MetLife Stadium after Josh Hart mentioned the Haliburton-Brunson rivalry on Monday.
Haliburton and Brunson have played together multiple times in All-Star games and on Team USA for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. They don't necessarily have similar on-court personas because Brunson is more cerebral in his approach, but that doesn't mean they can't get along.
They just may not act friendly toward each other on the court with a berth in the NBA Finals at stake for the winning team.
