Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton teases renewed Pistons playoff rivalry
03/12/2025 03:50 PM
The NBA Playoffs are right around the corner as teams across the league jockey for position and seeding. The postseason has a long history of generating rivalries in the league, and it sounds like Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is eyeing to possibly renew one with the Detroit Pistons.
During a guest appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show, Haliburton teased the idea of the Pacers and Pistons getting into a rivalry in the playoffs once again. However, the 25-year-old guard makes it clear that the rivalry is not in effect just yet. It all depends on whether the two teams play against each other in the postseason.
“If we play the Pistons in the playoffs, then I think you can say the rivalry is back.”
"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
The Pacers and Pistons rivalry originally formulated in the 1980s as both teams met in the postseason. During that time, Indiana and Detroit would play hard-fought games tooth and nail that created an electric rivalry in the Eastern Conference. The rivalry took a wild turn in 2004 when the infamous “Malice in the Palace” took place during a regular season game.
Since then, the rivalry hasn’t been as popular, especially in recent years. The Pacers have been competitive and made the postseason last year. However, they fell short after losing to the Boston Celtics in a 4-0 sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals. As for the Pistons, they’re on pace to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
The Pacers and Pistons are both aiming to avoid the play-in tournament and participate in the playoffs. However, Indiana is ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference, while Detroit is sixth. Both teams will need to lock in and maintain their 5.5 game lead over the seventh-placed Atlanta Hawks.
Indiana’s next contest is on Friday night when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers. A victory would give the Pacers a two-game winning streak and extend their record to 37-28.
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