Pacers Star Tyrese Haliburton Takes Slight Jab at Detroit Pistons

Over the course of the regular season, the Detroit Pistons have had multiple chippy battles with the Indiana Pacers. Many feel this is the rekindling of an old-school NBA rivalry, but according to one player, he doesn't see it as that just yet.

On Wednesday afternoon, Tyrese Haliburton joined the Pat McAfee Show to discuss a variety of topics. Among the things to come up were the NBA playoffs and their rivals in the Eastern Conference.

Haliburton started things off by naming teams such as the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and New York Knicks. McAfee interjected and brought up the Pistons, which garnered a different response from the All-Star guard. In Haliburton's eyes, Detroit isn't a rival until they lock horns in the postseason.

"I think the public might be trying to bring back the Malice rivalry," Haliburton said. "My only thing is, I said this last year about the Bucks, I don't really consider it a rivalry until you get a playoff matchup. If we play the Pistons in the playoffs, then I think you can say the rivalry is back. Until then, I think it's just competing."

“If we play the Pistons in the playoffs, then I think you can say the rivalry is back.” 👀

Tyrese Haliburton not ready to call Pacers-Pistons a rivalry (via @PatMcAfeeShow). pic.twitter.com/zWtiIHAk0c
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 12, 2025

Seeing that these teams have had their fair share of squabbles this year, it's safe to say there is no love lost between the Pacers and Pistons. Things reached a fever pitch when they last faced on January 29th, as Isaiah Stewart ended up being ejected after landing a blow to the head of Thomas Bryant.

In the home stretch of the regular season, there is still a chance for the Pistons and Pacers to match up in round one of the playoffs. Currently, the Pacers and the Bucks are tied in the standings. Seed four through six are going to continue shaking up for the coming weeks, leaving some uncertainty when it comes to the playoff picture.

Seeing as they haven't reached the postseason in over five years, just getting there is the primary objective for the Pistons. They'll look to keep their winning streak rolling on Thursday in a rematch with the Washington Wizards.

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