Tyrese Haliburton didn’t exactly mean to reopen old wounds, but when Spike Lee is sitting across from you, sometimes the past refuses to stay buried. On The Old Man and the Three, Lee was quick to remind Haliburton of the infamous battles with Reggie Miller that made him both enemy No. 1 and box-office gold at Madison Square Garden. And Haliburton? He wasn’t dodging. He was laughing and ultimately keeping his distance from the decades-old allegations of hate.

“So, till this day, people come up to Reggie and I and say, ‘Do we hate each other?’ How many years ago was that? Well, a long time. Even today, me and Reggie squashed that sh-t,” Lee said, hilariously laughing and pointing to a framed photo of Miller’s notorious choke gesture. “But you—you brought this sh-t back. We had that thing squashed, man. It was dead, and you brought it alive.” Haliburton, to his defense, leaned back, smiling, but refused to fan the flames.

“But you know they going to do that. That’s going to be a thing forever, though. That’s never going away.” Lee kept pushing, insisting that he and Miller had long buried the hatchet. But Haliburton, ever the realist, pushed back. “Then somebody—they’re going to be 40, 50 years from now, there’s going to be another Pacers-Knicks series and somebody else going to bring it back.”

“Maybe a Knicks player,” he said. And wouldn’t that be something? Lee, still laughing, shook his head and said, “I’ll be dead not to see that ‘cause I’m 68.” And if there’s one thing the Pacers guard has shown in his career, it’s that he knows when to step in and when to step back. And in this moment, Haliburton wasn’t stirring old beef. He was highlighting the timelessness of it all. But it’s not like Haliburton doesn’t understand the gravity of the Knicks-Pacers lore.

He lived his own chapter just months ago. Indiana knocked New York out of the playoffs in six games, sealing it with a 125-108 win at home with Haliburton averaging 21.0 points, 10.5 assists, and 6.0 rebounds in that series. The Pacers shot an outrageous 51.5% from the arc in Game 6, and forced 18 turnovers—converting into 34 points, dominating that category and demonstrating elite defensive pressure. The most points off turnovers for the franchise in a playoff game. Punching their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a decade. But there was heartbreak, too.

Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the Finals against the Thunder, an injury that will sideline him for the entire 2025-26 season. For a franchise that finally looked like it had its next Reggie Miller, its next iconic face, that absence cuts deep. That Finals Game 1 against the OKC also won Haliburton the title of “The Moment.“ But none of that history stopped Spike from joking with him on the podcast.

Tyrese Haliburton and the “year” ahead 

When asked if he had “a here we go again moment,” Lee didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I mean, how high that ball went to the roof.” Haliburton, being the half-goofball total-moment that he is, cracked up. “Yep. Shot clock. He’s still speechless about it. I love that.” Lee quickly snapped back, declaring, “I’m talking about this year!” Haliburton teased, “This is the year, huh?” “This year,” Lee affirmed. But all jokes aside, Lee eventually turned serious… or so we thought.

“I don’t want nobody to get hurt, nobody. I got nothing but love for you (Haliburton). Jayson Tatum, love him. I don’t want nobody to get hurt… but! This is our year! I’m not saying it’s gonna be a cake walk, but yourself and brother Tatum are key parts.” The irony, of course, is that Haliburton won’t be part of this year’s story on the floor. But in New York and Indiana, his name is already carved into the next generation of rivalry highlights.

And if you need context? In Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, Reggie Miller’s 39-point explosion against the Knicks, and his choke gesture after a three-pointer towards Lee, were forever tied to his sideline taunting. The New York tabloids, the next morning, made Lee the scapegoat: “Thanks A Lot, Spike.” That was theater, and Lee was a co-star whether he wanted to be or not.

Fast forward three decades, and Haliburton has become the player reviving those scripts. He’s not Reggie, but he’s the closest thing Indiana has seen since Miller retired. A two-time All-Star, Olympic gold medalist, and now the face of the Pacers’ $245 million future, Haliburton has built his reputation on vision and shot-making that pulls defenses apart.

He has already shown he can shift a series, and his contract ensures he’ll be in Indiana long enough to rewrite playoff storylines when healthy.

Haliburton recorded five go-ahead or game-tying field goals in the final five seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime during the 2024-25 playoffs, a feat that ties him with Reggie Miller for the second-most such shots in a single postseason since the NBA began tracking play-by-play data in 1997.

Only LeBron James, with eight, has more. Not only did he make history, Tyrese did it with flair, achieving at least one such clutch shot in every round of the playoffs. For comparison? No other player, including LeBron James or Michael Jordan, has matched this by hitting a go-ahead or game-tying shot in all four playoff rounds in a single postseason.

Haliburton’s engagement off the court this year only adds to the sense that his prime is just beginning. But the Achilles injury throws a wrench in the timing. The Pacers, who had momentum and a taste of the Conference Finals, are now left asking if they can keep the East waiting long enough for their star to return.

Meanwhile, the Knicks remain haunted. Spike Lee’s plea on Inside the NBA after Game 5, “I would give up an Academy Award, Oscar for the Knicks to win a championship,” still hangs in the air. The team hasn’t lifted the trophy since 1973, and their window is as uncertain as Haliburton’s recovery. 

That’s what makes Lee and Haliburton’s exchange so much fun. It’s history colliding with the present. It’s one icon reminding another rising star of what the rivalry means beyond the box score. And it’s Haliburton reminding everyone that no matter how much you squash the past, Knicks-Pacers always find a way back to life.