Indiana Pacers rising star Tyrese Haliburton is maintaining apparent tradition by declaring war on the courtside prescience of the New York Knicks.
Amid a dominant effort that featured the Pacers’ 140-126 win over the New York Knicks on Saturday night, Haliburton quietly dedicated his 23 assists and 22 points to Szczerbiak. As he built his historic score, Haliburton stared at the former NBA All-Star and current MSG Network analyst as he made his way up and down the floor.
According to Peter Botte of the New York Post, Haliburton played coy when asked about the looks toward Szczerbiak, rhetorically asking “Who?” An additional report from All Pacers’ Tony East stated that Haliburton was also asked if facing Szczerbiak’s employers had brought additional motivation, to which he simply responded, “Yes.”
Haliburton-Szczerbiak has been going for just over a year. The battle began in the aftermath of the Knicks’ visit to Indianapolis last December, which saw Haliburton shoot 5-of-16 from the field in a 109-106 win for New York. At the time, Haliburton was campaigning for his first NBA All-Star appearance.