“Grow Up”: Tyrese Haliburton Angers NBA Community With Viral Reggie Miller Tribute After Pacers End Knicks In Game 7

The Pacers showcased a dominant outing. Scorching the Knicks in the final chance to make it to the Conference Finals, Tyrese Haliburton and Co. finished the day with a 130-109 score. Despite Donte DiVincenzo nearly scoring 40 points, it was a poor result for the Knicks. As for Indiana, the boys came out to play. Every single starter scored 17 and above, with the whole team making an all-round effort. To finish it fittingly, Haliburton decided to walk into the presser with an epic Reggie Miller sweatshirt, and one among many fans deemed it as a “weird flex”.

And what else would Miller be doing but his infamous chokehold gesture? A very casual rubbing salt into the wounds, wouldn’t you say?

While it might be easy to just dismiss it as part of the winning team’s celebrations, this is the Knicks fans we are talking about. Nothing about New York sports is “casual” or “easily dismissed” with them! As such, X is growing very restless with Knicks fans as each second passes by.

One such fan commented, “My goodness what a clown. You beat two teams ravaged by injury. And the series is over. You won. Grow up.” Well, that’s a way to put it, we suppose. But the injury aspect is very true. Jalen Brunson and Co. knew this was going to be their last chance. And as a Hail Mary!, they got star forward, OG Anunoby to suit up. Within the first few minutes, it was getting increasingly clear that he wasn’t in the least fit to be in practice sessions, let alone actual matchups. OG played for just 5 minutes and he contributed 5 points before having to leave! There is no doubt that this might have seen a different outcome, or at least a dignified defeat, had OG stayed.

Then again, the Knicks were dealt a harsh hand in that they lost Brunson to a hand injury in the second half. Isaiah Hartenstein has been playing through an Achilles injury for most of the games towards the end. Josh Hart, who sustained an abdominal strain in Game 6, struggled to play to his full potential tonight. And there is the Knicks’ 7-foot giant, Mitchell Robinson, who’s been out since an ankle injury in Game 1. Finally, we have Julius Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic who never even set foot in the playoffs.

So, saying NYC was injury-addled would probably be putting it lightly. Add these to Miller’s face on Tyrese Haliburton’s sweatshirt, and the Knicks fans turned into sour grapes.

An influx of Knicks fans don’t hesitate to rip Tyrese Haliburton for his “clown” behavior

After the above long ‘clown’ comment, this next fan seems to find it prudent to keep it short. As such, he goes with a simple “Dude such a clown,” followed by a clown emoji, probably just to make his point. Well, point made! Another diplomatic individual here looks to be unhappy with the level of courage Haliburton has shown.

“I typically approve this type of behavior and pettiness, but if he was “that dude”, he would have worn it to the game. If he wore it to the game, this is top tier!” Many basketball fans have made their opinions clear on how soft that sport has become these days. With the ref saga at its top game this season, fans have been annoyed how every look, celebration, trash-talking, etc. have resulted in a whistle. Therefore, they look for challenges where they can find them. Unfortunately, Tyrese doesn’t seem like “that dude”. 

This next Knicks fan once again brings our attention to the injuries sustained by the team. “Dude beat an injury depleted Knicks team. Weird flex.” Another individual calls the Pacers superstar out for “flexing” what seems to be a sealed deal from the beginning. All the more so with Brunson’s exit after the first half. There is no doubt that Indiana fans would take too kindly to such an accusation. In fact, that’s what followed his comment.

Finally, this Minnesota fan seems to find Haliburton’s enjoyment a sign of certain defeat. “Doin all that just to get swept by the Celtics.” They will be going against the Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals. Taking into consideration the general fan consensus, the Pacers’ next foe is neither injury-depleted nor lacking in any way.

The ECF Game 1 between Boston and Indiana is scheduled for Tuesday, May 21 at 8 PM ET at TD Garden.

Who do you have your bets on? Let us know in the comments below!