Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton prematurely trolls Knicks after crucial basket… only to suffer brutal instant karma

By MAX WINTERS

Tyrese Haliburton suffered brutal instant karma after trying to troll the New York Knicks with a legendary celebration.

Haliburton thought he had stolen Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals for the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night when he drained a three-pointer on the buzzer that bounced high off the back of the rim and in.

His bucket sparked wild scenes on the Pacers bench and Haliburton pulled out Reggie Miller’s iconic choke celebration that the Hall of Famer Reggie Miller did to Spike Lee in a playoff game in 1994.

But replays showed that his foot was actually on the line, meaning his dramatic play only counted for two points and sent the game into overtime.

Fortunately for Haliburton, his Pacers teammates spared his blushes and clinched a dramatic 138-135 victory in overtime. 

Haliburton, who was recently named the most overrated played in the NBA by his peers, was lauded by friend Caitlin Clark on social media. She posted on X after his basket: ‘PACERS ARE THE GREATEST COMEBACK TEAM IVE EVER SEEN’.

Tyrese Haliburton suffered instant karma after trying to troll Knicks fans with choke celebration

Friendly reminder that the Pacers lost the series that Reggie Miller did his famous choke gesture towards the Knicks pic.twitter.com/l0v6JtfrQj

— Dylan Backer (@DylanBackerESM) May 20, 2025

Fortunately for Haliburton, his Pacers teammates spared his blushes and clinched the victory

Speaking after the game, Haliburton told TNT: ‘I thought it was a 3. I tried to hit the celly and it didn’t work. But we finished it in overtime.

‘Everybody has been wanting me to do it (the choke sign). I was going to hold it for the right time. That felt appropriate and then, you know, it went overtime so we’ll have to save it for later.’

Miller was actually commentating on the game for TNT. Broadcast colleague said to Miller: ‘He tried to give your choke sign to the Knicks. And the game’s not over.’

It turned out to be a nightmare evening for the Knicks, who led by 14 points with under three minutes remaining in regulation time before Aaron Nesmith brought the Pacers back with a flurry of late 3-pointers.

Andrew Nembhard eventually made the go-ahead basket with 26 seconds remaining in OT. Game 2 is Friday night.

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Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton prematurely trolls Knicks after crucial basket… only to suffer brutal instant karma

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