At the end of the regular season, few expected the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers to meet in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Most predicted the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics would dominate the 2025 NBA Playoffs, just as they had during the regular season. But now, the Knicks and Pacers are set to face off in an exciting series that caught many by surprise. Everyone, that is, except WWE.
The connection between WWE and this playoff matchup first gained attention when ESPN shared a graphic using the same font as WrestleMania X-Seven—considered by many WWE fans as the greatest WrestleMania ever.
It also appears WWE planned this storyline from early on.
On June 28, 2024, during a WWE event, Tyrese Haliburton was about to interfere to help Logan Paul. But Jalen Brunson jumped over the barricade to stop the two-time NBA All-Star from getting involved, which allowed LA Knight to win.
Later, Haliburton and Brunson faced each other in the ring, though no punches were thrown. WWE’s head of creative, Triple H, joked on social media, “It’s almost like we wrote it.” One Knicks player seems to agree.
Speaking to reporters, Knicks shooting guard Josh Hart praised WWE’s storytelling. Smiling, he said, “WWE writes a great script. There will be a lot of guys trying to get on WWE this summer.”
Hart went on to highlight the skills of Brunson and Haliburton. “They are two of the best point guards, not just in the East, but in the whole league,” he said. “It’s going to be fun. They play very differently. JB is more of a scoring guard, while Tyrese runs the offense, involves his teammates, and pushes the pace.”
Hart’s praise is backed by their playoff performances. Brunson is averaging 28.8 points, 7.7 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. Haliburton averages 17.5 points, 9.3 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 0.9 blocks, and 0.7 steals per game.
With these two stars leading their teams, fans can expect a thrilling series ahead.
Still, Triple H remains focused on wrestling. He teased, “My phone hasn’t stopped buzzing since Friday. SummerSlam is coming to MetLife Stadium in August.”
