On Friday Night’s SmackDown, the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers took on a new twist as wrestler Logan Paul made his entrance for a Money in the Bank qualifying match against LA Knight and Santos Escobar at Madison Square Garden. Along with him was Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, who tried to brush past Knicks guard Jalen Brunson on his way to the ring.
The two exchanged words before being separated by WWE officials, with “MVP!” chants for Brunson erupting in the Garden. However, things quickly escalated as Haliburton retrieved Paul’s brass knuckles and used them to attack Brunson. The two then engaged in a heated exchange before being separated once again.
Eventually, Haliburton joined forces with Paul while Brunson slid in with a steel chair and challenged him to another match. This led to Knight and Brunson forcing both of them out of the ring, much to the delight of the Madison Square Garden crowd. Despite this setback, Brunson later shared on social media that his previously injured hand felt fine.
The incident between these two teams had already been tense after the Pacers defeated the Knicks in Game 7 of their May playoff series en route to advancing to the Eastern Conference finals. During that game, Brunson had exited early due to a broken hand, leaving Haliburton and others unimpressed by his performance. As they faced off again during SmackDown, it seemed like old animosities still lingered between these two teams even beyond basketball matters.
