May 11, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) holds the ball while Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter (12) defends during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Tyrese Haliburton Bringing Pacers Fan to ECF After Incident With Knicks Fans

Originally posted on Indianapolis Pacers on SI
By Ricardo Klein | Last updated May 19, 2025 1:29 PM ET

The Indiana Pacers will play in their second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals starting this week. Once again, they will start the series on the road, but if the Pacers have shown us anything, it is that it doesn't matter whether they're home or on the road; they can win anywhere.

Indiana will start the series in front of a hostile Madison Square Garden crowd on Wednesday. The Knicks fans will be loud and rocking as it will be their first conference finals appearance in 25 years. Fans on social media got a glimpse of the crowd in New York after their second-round series clincher over the Boston Celtics on Friday.

The New York fans were going crazy, celebrating their team, but things started to turn when a Pacers fan wearing a Tyrese Haliburton jersey was heckled by fans on the street.

The name of that fan is New York native Hans Perez. Perez, born and raised in New York, is a Pacers fan. He appeared on the Pat McAfee show to talk about his experience from Friday night. Not only did he appear on ESPN, but Haliburton invited him out for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which is set to be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

UPDATE: Tyrese Haliburton is flying out firefighter and Pacers fan, Hans Perez, who got hit with bags of trash by New Yorkers for wearing his jersey, to Game 4 of the ECF in Indianapolis

(via @PatMcAfeeShow)pic.twitter.com/QM42fh1pCX https://t.co/lX2RxbWjly
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 19, 2025

Haliburton mentioned that the team had been talking about Perez and his experience that night.

The Pacers will start the series in New York with the first two games on the road. After that, the Pacers will hoist the Kncisk for Games 3 and 4.

Who knows how the series will be by then, but it is expected to be a ruckus Indiana crowd trying to make their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000.

The Pacers beat the Knicks in the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals to advance to the finals that season. However, they fell short in that finals appearance and have yet to return since.

Since that month, they have had four opportunities to get back to the finals but have failed. This season, they have a real shot at reaching their second-ever finals appearance.

Haliburton is doing all he can to lead Indiana to the promised land. In 10 games this postseason, the 25-year-old is averaging 17.5 points per game, 9.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from three in 34.1 minutes of action.

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For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.

This article first appeared on Indianapolis Pacers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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