Tyrese Haliburton Picks Better Arena Atmosphere Than Knicks'
The New York Knicks are heading to their first NBA Finals since 1999, and it is quite evident that the fans will be extra loud while backing their team. However, their former opponent Tyrese Haliburton claims another team can be much louder than Knicks fans.
Dubbed the "Mecca" of basketball, Madison Square Garden has been the home of the Knicks since 1968. The venue has seen the team lift the NBA Championship twice. While New York hasn't been in the Finals until now, fans, along with top celebrities, have continued to shower their support on the Knicks.
But Indiana Pacers star Haliburton feels that is what is bringing the volume down at MSG. "I think OKC does a great of kinda having like that college environment in there. It's pretty ridiculously loud," he said on The Pat McAfee Show. The two-time NBA All-Star also named the Oklahoma City Thunder's Paycom Center as the best environment to play in.
Haliburton continued, "A place like New York they have a lot of passionate fans of course and people love the Knicks, but there's a lot of celebrities in there and there are sometimes they're like too cool to get super loud vs OKC's." MSG is well known for having a front row that consists of celebrities like Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, Tracy Morgan, Timothee Chalamet, and more.
McAfee immediately responded to Haliburton by claiming Stiller also gets just as loud as any other fan. Now, with MSG finally hosting the NBA Finals after 27 years, the decibel level inside the arena is expected to increase. The Knicks did come close to entering the Finals last season as well, but the Pacers and Haliburton ruined their plans.
The 26-year-old recorded the second-most points for the Pacers during the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Only Pascal Siakam had more points than him. The Pacers went on to win the series 4-2, courtesy of Haliburton's significant clutch shots. He then went on to experience the atmosphere created by OKC fans in the NBA Finals.
The Pacers lost the seven-game series in Oklahoma and also lost Haliburton to a ruptured Achilles injury. He missed the entirety of the 2025-26 NBA season. His absence was major for the Pacers as they finished with a 19-63 record and landed the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Nonetheless, Haliburton's message about Knicks fans can be viewed as brutal. As New York prepares to host the NBA Finals, there's no doubt that MSG will be extra loud, passionate, and filled with top celebrities in the front row.
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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 6:11 AM.