Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton Bring Drama to Pacers vs. Knicks

Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks will face off against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers in a battle of two high-quality clutch performers.

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton looks to pass the ball against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are in the Eastern Conference Finals thanks to the efforts of Jalen Brunson, much like the Indiana Pacers are back in this position thanks to Tyrese Haliburton.

Both Brunson and Haliburton play similar roles for their teams, and they will each be important towards their team's successes in the Eastern Conference Finals, especially in the final minutes of each game.

Bleacher Report writer Greg Swartz thinks both Brunson and Haliburton will hit game-winners for their teams during the Conference Finals.

"Brunson was the NBA's Clutch Player of the Year and has the highest plus-minus mark of any player this postseason (plus-35). It hasn't been a pretty postseason for the New York Knicks, who have had to erase numerous double-digit deficits against the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics en route to the East Finals now," Swartz wrote.

"Haliburton is plus-11 in clutch minutes these playoffs, giving the Indiana Pacers a perfect 5-0 record in these games. According to ESPN research, playoff teams have won only three of 1,643 games when trailing by at least seven points in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime since the 1997-98 season. The Pacers have two of these wins, most recently in Game 2 vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers thanks to a Haliburton three-pointer."

"Indiana had a net rating of plus-6.5 in the fourth quarter against the Cavs, while the Knicks were plus-17.4 (!!!) in the final 12 minutes against the Celtics."

"We're in for some fireworks at the end of games in this series. Expect both Brunson and Haliburton to pick up where they've left off."

The Pacers and Knicks had two games with "clutch minutes" during last year's playoff series. New York came on top in Game 1 where Brunson had 43 points, while Haliburton knocked down 35 in a Game 3 win in Indiana.

These two are the heavyweights in the series, and it is going to take several rounds, and likely a knockout punch from one of these stars to advance to the NBA Finals.

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