“Y’all Couldn’t Get 1 Win?”: Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson Reveal Call with Tyrese Haliburton Following ECF Loss

The Indiana Pacers missed multiple golden opportunities during their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Boston Celtics, which ended in a sweep for Boston. Could the Knicks have stolen at least a game from the Celtics had they been in the ECF? While we will never know the outcome of this “What If”, Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart recently discussed the possibility. The whole thing was prompted by a call with Pacers PG Tyrese Haliburton.

Hart and Brunson seemed amused by the fact that the Indiana Pacers, who beat them in a tight ECSF series, were relegated to 0 wins in the Conference Finals. In fact, Brunson and his teammate took the opportunity to take direct shots at Haliburton during their call recently.

On their Roommates pod, the Knicks duo hilariously narrated their call with Haliburton, where they called the Pacers guard out for not even winning one game against the Celts. Brunson admitted that he felt relieved after having the call with Haliburton as he had the opportunity to troll him over the ECF loss. 

Meanwhile, Hart reminded Hali how he and his Pacers teammates were pumped after eking out a Game 7 win against the Knicks. They had talked a lot of trash at the expense of the New York side. But in the end, they couldn’t even land a single blow to the Celtics.

“I said something like, ‘Damn, y’all couldn’t get one win? Y’all beat us Game 7, whatever, y’all mad hype, y’all couldn’t get one win after three leads in the fourth,” Hart revealed on his pod.

Then the guard admitted that their chances against the Celts would have also been slim considering their injury troubles. While Brunson was dealing with a left-hand injury, Hart was battling through a severe abdomen issue. Despite the uncertainty regarding their availability, the Knicks star fancied at least one win for the Knicks during the series. 

The Knicks duo lamented that the Pacers squandered a chance for a ‘gentleman sweep’ as they were leading in three games but crumbled in crunch-time. While Brunson enjoyed this sweep as a rival, as Hali’s friend he’d have wanted him to at least win one game.

Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton bonded during the 2023 FIBA World Cup

As teammates for the USA squad, Brunson and Haliburton built a bond during the 2023 FIBA WC. The two Eastern Conference guards had lots of conversations and even became friends. In the build-up to the ECSF series between the Knicks and Pacers, the Knicks guard spoke glowingly about his rival PG. 

While appreciating Haliburton’s personality, he admired the way the young Indiana guard approaches the game.  

“Great guy[Tyrese Haliburton], great family. He became one of my friends, obviously through that [experience at the FIBA World Cup], and I have all the respect in the world for him and the way he plays the game,” Brunson stated in the build-up to the ECSF series.

Meanwhile, Hali’s comments summed up the close bond between the two. When the Pacers sealed the playoffs berth, he immediately Face-Timed his friend to share his elation. He revealed, “Literally the first call I had after we made the playoffs was a FaceTime with Jalen.“

Later, the 24-year-old relished that he was able to go against his pal in the playoffs.