Latest news with #InsidetheKnicks
New York Post
2 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Tyrese Haliburton claps back at Ben Stiller after sending Knicks packing from playoffs
Ben Stiller talked his trash and paid the price. The actor and die-hard Knicks fan joked before Game 6 that Tyrese Haliburton 'brought his duffel for the flight to NY' after seeing footage of the Pacers point guard dressed in all black. After the Pacers eliminated the Knicks with a 125-108 win, Haliburton clapped back. 'Nah, was to pack y'all up,' Haliburton posted on X in response to Stiller. Indeed, it was likely a long night for Stiller, who was a regular at Knicks playoff games throughout the team's run, though he did not appear to make the trip for Game 6 after doing so for Game 4. Haliburton's clapback was well-earned. He outplayed counterpart Jalen Brunson in Saturday's Game 6, putting up 21 points with 13 assists, much of it coming in the second half when the Pacers broke the game open. 3 Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton celebrates during the team's Game 6 Eastern Conference finals win over the Knicks on May 31, 2025. Getty Images 3 Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) greets Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) after Indiana's Game 6 win to clinch the Eastern Conference finals on May 31, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Brunson, meanwhile, was locked up by Andrew Nembhard after a masterful adjustment by Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. The Knicks' leading man scored 19 but was 8-for-18 from the field and never got going with the season on the line. After Haliburton beat out Brunson for a spot on the Olympic team last year, he justified that controversial decision in this series. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. Haliburton, who flashed the choke sign after the Knicks blew Game 1 of the series, became a villain at Madison Square Garden this series as a result — a status only enhanced now by taking on one of the Garden's most recognizable celebrities. The Pacers will face the Thunder in the NBA Finals, the first time Indiana has played for a championship since 2000, when it lost to the Lakers. 3 Ben Stiller (r.) with Timothée Chalamet (l.) and Kylie Jenner (r.) during Knicks-Pacers Game 5 on May 29, 2025. Getty Images The Pacers have never won an NBA title. The Thunder technically won in 1979 when they were the Seattle Supersonics, but haven't done so since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008. Game 1 is Thursday at 8:30 p.m. in Oklahoma City and will air on ABC.
New York Post
8 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Knicks refuse to ‘doubt' core's ability to make next NBA Finals leap
INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Brunson made his sentiment crystal clear. After falling in the Eastern Conference finals, how confident is he that this core has enough to take the next step into the NBA Finals and win a championship? Advertisement 'The most confidence,' Brunson said after the Knicks' 125-108 Game 6, season-ending loss to the Pacers on Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. 'Overconfident. Seriously, there's not an ounce of any type of doubt that I'm not confident with this group.' The Knicks made three major moves last offseason to build a championship contender. They sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns. They parted with five first-round picks to acquire Mikal Bridges from the Nets. Advertisement 3 Jalen Brunson and the Knicks were eliminated from the playoffs after their 125-108 Game 6 Eastern Conference finals loss to the Pacers on May 31, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg They brought back OG Anunoby on the biggest contract in franchise history. Those moves, this time around, were not enough. Advertisement 'You make moves to win,' Towns said. 'It hurts to not bring an opportunity to the city for a championship. We got a bunch of great guys in that locker room and we hope to put ourselves in this position again.' Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. The Knicks, to a man, were adamant they wanted to bring back the same core next year. But they also know that there is often inevitable reality when a group falls short of its goals. Advertisement 3 Karl-Anthony Towns reacts after the Knicks' season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers. Charles Wenzelberg 3 Josh Hart reacts in frustration during the Knicks' season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers. Charles Wenzelberg 'You're always going to hear me say, 'Run it back,' ' Josh Hart said. 'I think you heard me say the same thing last year with the guys we had. I'd like to do it. I feel like this team is good enough to make the next step. 'But it's a business. And when you don't get to where you feel like you could've or should've, changes are made. This is my eighth year. This is my fourth organization. I've had six or seven coaches. It's tough, we're going to have to see. Don't think you can ever be too comfortable.' What's happening on and off the Garden court Sign up for Inside the Knicks by Stefan Bondy, a weekly exclusive on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters Brunson's reasons to believe in this group lie behind the scenes. 'I've got a lot of faith in this group,' Brunson said. 'No one sees the things that me and [KAT] see every day. No one sees the type of people that we have, the workers that we have. That's what gives me the confidence, and I'm OK with that. I don't care what people think about us on the outside. I know what we've got.'
New York Post
8 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Mitchell Robinson left feeling ‘like s–t' after long road back ends with Knicks playoff heartbreak
INDIANAPOLIS — A long and arduous road back for Mitchell Robinson led him all the way back to the Knicks' starting lineup in the Eastern Conference finals. It made the way it all ended Saturday that much more painful. 'S–tty, bro. Like s–t,' Robinson described his feelings at his locker following the Knicks' season-ending 125-108 loss to the Pacers in Game 6. 'I don't even got words, to be honest with you. 'Obviously, I didn't play the full year, came back in, what, late February, March and grinded the whole time all the way up to this point. 'I'm happy that we got this far, but I don't know, man. We gave away two [games] at home early, then we were playing out of a hole, and you can't do that.' 3 Mitchell Robinson dunks the ball during the Knicks' 125-108 season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg Robinson missed the first four months of the regular season following surgery to repair an ankle injury suffered in last year's playoffs. The longest-tenured Knick returned to the starting lineup in Memphis on Feb. 28, and he appeared in 17 regular-season games and all 18 in three rounds of the playoffs. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. With the starting unit struggling defensively at the start of games, Robinson finally was inserted into the starting lineup alongside Karl-Anthony Towns in Game 3 against the Pacers, with Josh Hart moving to a reserve role. The 7-foot Robinson provided eight points on 4-for-4 shooting with nine rebounds and two blocked shots in Game 6, with five of those boards coming on the offensive end, all in the first half. 3 Mitchell Robinson attempts to pull down a rebound during the Knicks' Game 6 loss to the Pacers. Charles Wenzelberg 3 Mitchell Robinson greets Tyrese Haliburton after the Knicks' Game 6 loss. Charles Wenzelberg He didn't have as much of a two-way impact in the second half, however, and admitted he 'should've kept my energy up, but I feel like I didn't play to my full potential.' Still, Robinson's unique ability to provide extra possessions for the Knicks on the offensive end helped keep them within four points at halftime despite slow starts by Towns and Jalen Brunson. What's happening on and off the Garden court Sign up for Inside the Knicks by Stefan Bondy, a weekly exclusive on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters Asked before the game if he still considers himself the best offensive rebounder in the NBA, Robinson replied 'of course' and '[I] still am.' The 27-year-old Robinson, who was drafted by the Knicks in the second round in 2018, has one year remaining on the four-year, $60 million extension he signed in 2022.
New York Post
11 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Heroes, zeros of Game 6: The Jalen Brunson stopper was difference
Heroes and zeros from the Knicks' 125-108 Game 6 season-ending loss to the Pacers on Saturday night in Indianapolis: Hero What a series for Pascal Siakam. With Tyrese Haliburton struggling, he took over as the Pacers' No. 1 option on offense and erupted for 31 points. He is a menace in transition. Pascal Siakam gets mobbed by his teammates after being named the MVP of the Eastern Conference finals after the Knicks' season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31, 2025. Getty Images Zero Karl-Anthony Towns picked a brutal time to deliver one of his worst showings of the postseason. He finished with 22 points, but only had 11 entering the fourth quarter. A dejected Karl-Anthony Towns hugs his father after the Knicks' 125-108 season-ending loss to the Pacers in Game 6. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Unsung hero Andrew Nembhard spent most of the game guarding Jalen Brunson rather than Aaron Nesmith. And he limited Brunson to a series-low 19 points and forced him into five turnovers. He also had six steals. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. Key stat 34-13: Pacers advantage over the Knicks in points scored off turnovers. Quote of the day 'When you don't get to where you feel like you could've or should've, changes are made.' — Josh Hart
New York Post
12 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Knicks failed to clean up their act — and it burned them in Game 6
INDIANAPOLIS — Turnovers were a major issue for the Knicks throughout the Eastern Conference finals, and their last game of the series — and their season — certainly was no different. The Knicks coughed up the ball a series-high 18 times and they were outscored by a whopping 34-13 margin off turnovers in falling for the fourth and final time to the Pacers, 125-108, in Game 6 on Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges were the primary culprits with five giveaways apiece, followed by two each by Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson. Advertisement 3 Jalen Brunson had issues turning the ball over in the Knicks' 125-108 Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Pacers wing Andrew Nembhard, who was switched by Indiana coach Rick Carlisle to the primary defender against Brunson with Aaron Nesmith slowed by an ankle issue, recorded six steals. Tyrese Haliburton added three in the series clincher as the Pacers advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000. Haliburton, who arrived to the game in all black to supposedly signify that he would be attending a funeral for the Knicks, also had 21 points and 13 assists for the Pacers, who will face the Thunder in the Finals with both teams looking for a first NBA title. It marked the fifth time in the six games that Haliburton was credited with two or more steals. Advertisement The Knicks committed 10 turnovers in Saturday's first half, and they finished with at least 15 in five of the six games, with the lone exception their 13 in a Game 2 defeat. Even in the two games the Knicks emerged victorious, they were charged with 15 in Game 3 and Game 5. In the first five games, the Knicks lost the ball 75 times and conceded 106 points, while scoring only 48 points off Indiana giveaways. Josh Hart committed five turnovers in the Knicks' home loss in Game 4, and said afterward that he was 'embarrassed by his play.' Advertisement 3 Tyrese Haliburton defends Mikal Bridges during the Knicks' season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Down by 15 points (78-63) with 6:44 to go in Saturday's third quarter, the Knicks embarked on an 8-0 run to close within seven. But Nesmith scored in transition following Pascal Siakam's steal of Mikal Bridges, T.J. McConnell buried a 3-pointer after Robinson fumbled the ball out of bounds, and former Knicks forward Obi Toppin nailed another trey after Miles McBride was called for stepping out of bounds — as the Pacers stretched the lead back to 15 by the end of the quarter. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. Advertisement The Knicks then netted the first six points of the fourth, but Nembhard pick-pocketed Brunson for his sixth steal — and Brunson's fifth turnover — resulting in a layup at the other end for a 14-point game with 8:25 remaining. 3 Mitchell Robinson pulls down a rebound during the third quarter of the Knicks' loss. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post The Knicks' transition defense, in general, was atrocious Saturday night, with the Pacers finishing the game with a 25-10 edge in fast-break points, including four buckets off the inbounds pass following made baskets by the Knicks, which TNT analyst Stan Van Gundy at one point labeled 'inexcusable.'
