Knicks’ brutal playoffs exit confirmed as $304m star rubs salt into wounds with cheeky taunt

The Indiana Pacers have progressed into the Eastern Conference finals after stunning the New York Knicks 103-109 in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks, who entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the East, could not handle Indiana in front of a star-studded crowd which included Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, John McEnroe, Travis Scott and Jon Stewart.

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It was a brutal exit for the Knicks, who also lost Jalen Brunson to a fractured left hand in the second half.

Brunson was 6-for-17 with 17 points and nine assists in 29 minutes.

The Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton also rubbed salt into the wound of Knicks fans.

The ESPN cameras caught Haliburton, who signed a five-year, $AUD304 million contract in April, yelling and pointing at the fans as he walked towards the Pacers’ bench after the Knicks called a time-out with 2:03 left in the first quarter and the Pacers leading 34-22.

“You like that s***,” he appeared to say to the fans.

Haliburton was seen talking trash to a fan after he hit a 3-pointer and was walking back up the court with 3:57 left in the first quarter.

With a minute left on the clock, Haliburton hit another trey for his 14th point of the quarter and he could be seen pointing once again to the fans.