"Can't f**k with me", "Long f**king series" - Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson's alleged trash talk in Game 4 leaked
Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson were in the middle of two heated instances during the Pacers' 121-89 blowout win in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semis. Haliburton let the Knicks know they didn't have any player on the team that could guard him amid his 20-point outing in 27 minutes.
After hitting a couple of 3s on Donte DiVincenzo, Haliburton trash-talked the former Villanova prospect and the Knicks, allegedly saying (via LegendZ NBA on "X"):
"“You can’t f**k with me … Can’t guard me. No, no!"
Meanwhile, Brunson got into it with Pascal Siakam later as they jostled for a rebound on Alec Burks' free throw attempt at the end of the first half. Siakam then appeared to shove the Knicks' All-Star, and the two went back and forth over it.
While heading to the locker room, Brunson bickered that the teams still have a lot to play in this series.
"It's a long f**king series," Brunson said.
The Knicks didn't have much to brag about in this one after sustaining their worst loss of the 2024 NBA Playoffs by a 32-point margin. Tyrese Haliburton and Co. were off to a flying start with a 34-14 first-quarter advantage, setting the tone for the eventual result after stretching the lead by 43 at one point.
Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson sound off on Game 4
The vibe was obviously the opposite between the Pacers and Knicks locker rooms after Game 4's lopsided battle. Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers were as hyped as ever after storming back in the series by successfully defending their home court. Haliburton credited the team's maturity in such a situation to bounce back, showing their mettle, stating:
"We just handled business from start to finish and I think that’s part of the maturation of this group that we’ve talked about all year."
Tyrese Haliburton started the massacre on the Knicks with an eight-point first quarter. He made his first two 3-point attempts to catch an early rhythm. The Pacers hit five 3s in the opening 12 minutes while limiting the Knicks to only one made shot from range.
They connected on six more 3s, going a dismal 7 of 37 from deep. Jalen Brunson, their more reliable offensive weapon, endured a quiet night in his 30 minutes, tallying 18 points on 6 of 17 shooting. Meanwhile, his fellow Villanova alumni Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo combined for a measly nine points on 4 of 19 shots.
"When you're down 30, nothing's peaceful, nothing's flower and roses," Brunson said after the loss. "
“Yeah, we’re short-handed but that doesn’t matter right now. We have what we have and we need to go forward with that. There is no ‘we’re short-handed.’ There’s no excuse," Jalen Brunson added.
The Knicks were without OG Anunoby on top of Bojan Bogdanovic, Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle for Game 4. The available players, including Jalen Brunson, are also running on fumes after New York has run short rotations in its 10 playoff games.