Other from the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, opposing players always notice one special figure on the sideline when the New York Knicks take the court. Standing at 5-foot-7, wearing an outfit entirely comprised of Knicks memorabilia is legendary filmmaker Spike Lee. A multitude of players both past and present, engage in back-and-forth banter with the BlacKkKlansman director. Tyrese Haliburton had the opportunity to follow that pattern, but his eyes targeted a different figure.
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One of the greatest rivalries in NBA history was between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks in the 1990s and early 2000s. It has certainly mellowed down over the years but the last couple of seasons have seen the two teams reignite their feud. Before their Eastern Conference Finals batte this past season, they met in the semifinals.
The series came down to a divisive Game 7 in MSG. Tyrese Haliburton had struggled in his three previous outings in New York to his standards. The 6-foot-5 point guard averaged 17.7 points and 7.3 assists per game while on the road. But his numbers would swell in front of his home crowd, as he would average 23.3 points and 7.0 assists per game.
Typically, Haliburton would find a culprit to help fuel his competitive energy. Ahead of Game 7, his trainer had a special person in mind.
“I’m sitting there with my trainer and he’s like, ‘Yo, we got to figure out who’s going to be your guy to go back and forth with because that’s going to get you going,'” Haliburton said on The Young Man and The Three. “He was like, ‘What about Spike?’ I said, ‘Man, the thing about Spike though, there’s no real smoke with Spike.'”
Haliburton wasn’t like Reggie Miller, who had a genuine beef with Lee. Instead, he attempted to think of another person who would incite the same sort of energy. A Knicks legend quickly came to mind.
“It’s gotta be somebody different. I said, ‘I know. It’s going to be John Starks.’ Cause Starks is under the basket. The whole team, don’t get me started. Y’all score and they’re on the court,” Haliburton proclaimed.
The group that Haliburton was referring to featured John Starks, Larry Johnson and Patrick Ewing. Since Starks already annoyed Haliburton, he made for the perfect candidate. Before the start of the game, Haliburton was preparing on how he would begin the back and forth. However, an unexpected development took place.
“I always do a little run before the game. Sure enough, there was somebody else courtside who was like, ‘Haliburton, you’re a b****. You f****** s***!’ So I said, ‘No, it ain’t going to be John Starks. It’s this guy,'” Haliburton revealed.
The person who spewed such remarks wasn’t a celebrity but just an ordinary fan. Those words lit a fire under Haliburton, and the two-time All-Star finished with 26 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds while leading the Knicks to a 130-109 emphatic victory.
Perhaps the Knicks would’ve had a better chance to win if it weren’t for that fan. New York had their opportunity for revenge, but Haliburton stomped on their heart in the 2025 playoffs. Unfortunately, those types of encounters won’t be happening anytime soon as Haliburton will miss all of next season as he recovers from his Achilles injury.
