Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton uses a fan for motivation during big Game 7 win over New York Knicks

NEW YORK — If it felt like Tyrese Haliburton was taking something personally in the first half of the Indiana Pacers Game 7 win over the New York Knicks on Sunday, it’s because he was.

The star point guard had an excellent game, finishing with 26 points and six assists in a win. He hit big shot after big shot, ripping out the hearts of Knicks fans.

His first half was sensational. He scored 16 points in the first two quarters, including four three-point shots, and Indiana rolled in his minutes. The star guard was making dazzling plays on almost every possession as the Pacers raced ahead.

As he continued to drop in buckets during the first half, Haliburton kept looking into the crowd. Specifically, he had his eye on one fan — sitting courtside in a flannel and brown hat sat Haliburton’s nemesis.

After every made shot, the All-Star guard shot a glance toward said fan. On more than one occasion, they exchanged gestures. It was clear that they were having some sort of back-and-forth, and Haliburton was using it as fuel.

“He was just talking before the game. It seemed like whoever was sitting in that seat all series had something to say to me. Once I got going, I knew I was going to have to pick somebody today to get me going,” Haliburton said after the battle while in good spirits. He had just propelled his team to the Eastern Conference Finals. “It just happened to be him. Got me going in the first quarter, and we just continued on. I think that’s the game within the game, the fun that is this environment.”

This is a repeat of an event that happened during the regular season in Cleveland. Haliburton took off in the fourth quarter of a Pacers win over the Cavaliers, and a fan was getting into it with Indiana’s star during the action. “You did this!” he shouted at the fan.

“I needed some external motivation to get myself going,” Haliburton said in the locker room after that victory. “Every three from there was just… needed to talk to him to get myself going.”

Haliburton loves playing on the road in those environments because of those moments. They get him going, and it was important in Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The Pacers had a historic offensive night, and Haliburton’s early interaction with a fan played a part in it all.