3 days ago
Knicks fans pummel Tyrese Haliburton effigy in sick 'social experiment' after win over Pacers
Knicks fans pummeled an effigy of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton on the streets of Manhattan after third-seeded New York saved its season with a 111-94 win over Indiana in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday night.
Made with some stuffed laundry and paper mask taped around a flimsy pillow-like head, the Haliburton doll was part of a 'social experiment' on the Knicks faithful outside of Madison Square Garden, according to its creator.
'So I brought a stuffed Halliburton as a social experiment to see how long he would last outside Madison Square Garden because he's currently the most hated man in New York City,' 24-year-old Henry Wang told The New York Post.
'He did not last even seven minutes. I think he got completely disemboweled. He got jumped. They pantsed him.'
The humiliation didn't stop there. As Wang explained: 'Then the cops took him.'
It was Haliburton's buzzer beater that sent Game 1 into overtime at MSG, where the Pacers completed a 17-point comeback to take a 1-0 series lead.
Since then, the All-Star guard and Knicks tormentor has been up and down, dropping 14 and 20 points in Games 2 and 3, respectively, before breaking out for 32 in a Game 4 victory back in Indianapolis.
But on Thursday in Manhattan, Haliburton wasn't a factor, scoring just eight points and adding only six assists and two rebounds in the Game 5 loss.
Now holding a 3-2 series lead, the Pacers will have another chance to eliminate the Knicks on Saturday in Indianapolis, where Haliburton has pledged to turn things around.
'I gotta be better, and I will be better in Game 6,' Haliburton told reporters. 'I'll watch the film and learn from it like I always do and be prepared for Game 6.'
Haliburton and the Pacers will also need to find a way to stop Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who had a game-high 32 points on Thursday night while hitting 12 of 18 shots from the field.
And Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns may have been even better, adding 13 rebounds to go with 24 points as New York outscored Indiana by 24 pounds during his 36 minutes of action.
