After his Indiana Pacers defeated the Knicks in Game 7 of last year’s second-round playoff series, Tyrese Haliburton sat down at the Madison Square Garden podium wearing a hoodie with an image of

Haliburton was referencing an in-ring appearance during a June 2024 episode of "SmackDown" at Madison Square Garden, where he got to face off against Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson.

The Indiana Pacers are back in the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season, but their return has come with more grit than glamour. A year ago, their run to the final four was viewed through the lens of circumstance –injuries to opposing stars helped clear a path,