The WWE scriptwriters may’ve seen it coming earlier than the remainder of us did.
Jalen Brunson vs. Tyrese Haliburton. Head-to-head. A visit to the NBA Finals on the road.
It was Haliburton’s Pacers who ended the Knicks’ season final spring, eliminating them in Recreation 7 of the Jap Convention semifinals at Madison Sq. Backyard. And simply weeks later — underneath very totally different lights, in a really acquainted area — Haliburton and Brunson stood face-to-face once more. Not on hardwood, however in the course of WWE SmackDown.
A choreographed conflict that felt much less like a teaser, extra like a rematch. Two rising stars. Two fan bases. Two groups that flamed out within the playoffs — each with unfinished enterprise.
No one knew what was coming subsequent. The Knicks completed third within the East. The Pacers landed fourth. Neither was projected to make a deep run, not to mention claw their approach by way of the chaos of the bracket.
However the WWE? Perhaps they knew one thing.
Indiana took down Milwaukee in Spherical 1, then upset the top-seeded Cavaliers. The Knicks survived Detroit, then dethroned the reigning champion Celtics.
“WWE writes a great script,” Josh Hart stated after follow Monday in Tarrytown. “There’s gonna be a lot of guys trying to get on WWE this summer.”
Now, right here it’s: the full-circle second. Two All-Star guards who squared off within the playoffs, then stared one another down underneath the ropes — now battling once more for an actual prize. Recreation 1 of the Jap Convention Finals ideas off Wednesday night time, proper again at The Backyard.
“That night — obviously a lot of it’s coincidental,” Brunson stated Monday. “That was totally different from what we’re about to go through. A cool experience. Just something to check off the bucket list.”
Brunson and Haliburton weren’t shut till they grew to become teammates on Workforce USA for the 2024 FIBA World Cup. Since then, their careers have mirrored and diverged. Haliburton led Indiana to back-to-back convention finals. Brunson dragged an injury-riddled Knicks crew to seven video games final 12 months earlier than the wheels got here off.
This 12 months, each reloaded. And each delivered.
Haliburton’s Pacers knocked off Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks and a battered Cavaliers squad in two rounds, leaning on the NBA’s deepest rotation and the league’s quickest tempo. Haliburton delivered dagger after dagger — together with the Recreation 2 game-winner and a 31-point efficiency to seal the gentleman’s sweep.
“He’s done a lot. He’s quieted a lot of people,” Brunson stated. “Obviously he’s their engine, and they go as he goes. He does a lot for their team. So yeah — it’s going to be a tough task. But for us, it’s about sticking together, doing what we do, and controlling what we can control.”
The Knicks, in the meantime, have reworked. Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo had been shipped to Minnesota for Karl-Anthony Cities. 5 first-round picks had been despatched to Brooklyn for Mikal Bridges. OG Anunoby signed a $212.5 million deal. The Knicks are deeper, harder, and way more harmful than they had been a 12 months in the past — however their pulse nonetheless runs by way of No. 11.
Brunson simply led the Knicks to a 50-win season, earned an All-Star beginning nod, and is anticipated to notch his second straight All-NBA honor. Now, he’s two wins away from matching the franchise’s deepest playoff run for the reason that flip of the century.
And one way or the other, he nonetheless remembers each beat of that summer time night time.
June 28, 2024.
Logan Paul is within the ring. He calls Haliburton over. The brass knuckles come out. Haliburton clinks them in opposition to the metal steps. Brunson rises from ringside, hops the barricade. The 2 stars strategy — an eyebrow elevate, a stare, a second that sends The Backyard into M-V-P chants.
“Absolutely [I would do it again]. I think it’s a great experience, something that as a kid you dream of being a part of something like that,” he recalled. “I got a call from a man named Paul [Heyman], who is a very well known man. Ideas bounced around and there we were.”
That was the facet quest. The Jap Convention Finals? That is the struggle.
Similar lights. Actual stakes. And whereas WWE might have teased it months upfront, the title gained’t be gained in a roped-off ring. It’ll take 94 toes, best-of-seven, blood, sweat, and survival — with the winner 4 video games from basketball immortality.
Brunson now wears the orange and blue. Haliburton fits up in navy and gold. The rematch is ready — and the highlight has by no means burned brighter.
“They are two of the best point guards, not just in the East, but in this league. It’s going to be fun,” stated Hart. “They both have different playing styles. JB more of a scoring guard, Tyrese runs an offense, gets guys involved, pushes the pace, those types of things. It’s going to be a back and forth matchup, a chess game. But both guys are extremely talented. Looking forward to that.”
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau couldn’t assist however smirk when requested if WWE one way or the other predicted this second.
“That’s for you guys,” Thibodeau stated with fun. “We have great respect for Indiana, Tyrese. We understand what we have to do. But I think where we are today, that’s part of the league. But I try to focus on the basketball part.”
