The WWE scriptwriters might’ve seen it coming before the rest of us did.
Jalen Brunson vs. Tyrese Haliburton. Head-to-head. A trip to the NBA Finals on the line.
It was Haliburton’s Pacers who ended the Knicks’ season last spring, eliminating them in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Madison Square Garden. And just weeks later — under very different lights, in a very familiar arena — Haliburton and Brunson stood face-to-face again. Not on hardwood, but in the middle of WWE SmackDown.
A choreographed clash that felt less like a teaser, more like a rematch. Two rising stars. Two fan bases. Two teams that flamed out in the playoffs — both with unfinished business.
Nobody knew what was coming next. The Knicks finished third in the East. The Pacers landed fourth. Neither was projected to make a deep run, let alone claw their way through the chaos of the bracket.
But the WWE? Maybe they knew something.
Indiana took down Milwaukee in Round 1, then upset the top-seeded Cavaliers. The Knicks survived Detroit, then dethroned the reigning champion Celtics.
“WWE writes a great script,” Josh Hart said after practice Monday in Tarrytown. “There’s gonna be a lot of guys trying to get on WWE this summer.”
Now, here it is: the full-circle moment. Two All-Star guards who squared off in the playoffs, then stared each other down under the ropes — now battling again for a real prize. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals tips off Wednesday night, right back at The Garden.
“That night — obviously a lot of it’s coincidental,” Brunson said Monday. “That was totally different from what we’re about to go through. A cool experience. Just something to check off the bucket list.”
Brunson and Haliburton weren’t close until they became teammates on Team USA for the 2024 FIBA World Cup. Since then, their careers have mirrored and diverged. Haliburton led Indiana to back-to-back conference finals. Brunson dragged an injury-riddled Knicks team to seven games last year before the wheels came off.
This year, both reloaded. And both delivered.
Haliburton’s Pacers knocked off Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks and a battered Cavaliers squad in two rounds, leaning on the NBA’s deepest rotation and the league’s fastest pace. Haliburton delivered dagger after dagger — including the Game 2 game-winner and a 31-point performance to seal the gentleman’s sweep.
“He’s done a lot. He’s quieted a lot of people,” Brunson said. “Obviously he’s their engine, and they go as he goes. He does a lot for their team. So yeah — it’s going to be a tough task. But for us, it’s about sticking together, doing what we do, and controlling what we can control.”
The Knicks, meanwhile, have transformed. Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo were shipped to Minnesota for Karl-Anthony Towns. Five first-round picks were sent to Brooklyn for Mikal Bridges. OG Anunoby signed a $212.5 million deal. The Knicks are deeper, tougher, and far more dangerous than they were a year ago — but their pulse still runs through No. 11.
Brunson just led the Knicks to a 50-win season, earned an All-Star starting nod, and is expected to notch his second straight All-NBA honor. Now, he’s two wins away from matching the franchise’s deepest playoff run since the turn of the century.
And somehow, he still remembers every beat of that summer night.
June 28, 2024.
Logan Paul is in the ring. He calls Haliburton over. The brass knuckles come out. Haliburton clinks them against the steel steps. Brunson rises from ringside, hops the barricade. The two stars approach — an eyebrow raise, a stare, a moment that sends The Garden into M-V-P chants.
“Absolutely [I would do it again]. I think it’s a great experience, something that as a kid you dream of being a part of something like that,” he recalled. “I got a call from a man named Paul [Heyman], who is a very well known man. Ideas bounced around and there we were.”
That was the side quest. The Eastern Conference Finals? This is the war.
Same lights. Real stakes. And while WWE may have teased it months in advance, the title won’t be won in a roped-off ring. It’ll take 94 feet, best-of-seven, blood, sweat, and survival — with the winner four games from basketball immortality.
Brunson now wears the orange and blue. Haliburton suits up in navy and gold. The rematch is set — and the spotlight has never burned brighter.
“They are two of the best point guards, not just in the East, but in this league. It’s going to be fun,” said Hart. “They both have different playing styles. JB more of a scoring guard, Tyrese runs an offense, gets guys involved, pushes the pace, those types of things. It’s going to be a back and forth matchup, a chess game. But both guys are extremely talented. Looking forward to that.”
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau couldn’t help but smirk when asked if WWE somehow predicted this moment.
“That’s for you guys,” Thibodeau said with a laugh. “We have great respect for Indiana, Tyrese. We understand what we have to do. But I think where we are today, that’s part of the league. But I try to focus on the basketball part.”
