Knicks-Pacers primer: Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton battle among top storylines

That quote was supplied by MSG Network analyst Wally Szczerbiak in December 2022 about Tyrese Haliburton, and the important context today is that Jalen Brunson figured prominently. 

At the time, the point guards were vying for a 2023 All-Star spot.

It was one or the other.

Szczerbiak clearly felt Brunson deserved it, but Haliburton got the nod.

That summer, Brunson and Haliburton were competing for a starting spot on Team USA at the FIBA World Cup.

Again, one or the other.

Brunson started but was largely outplayed by Haliburton during the tournament, which probably contributed to Haliburton being named to the Olympic squad while Brunson was left off. 

If the Paris Olympics wasn't one or the other, it was pretty close. 

When the question was asked this season — who was the best guard in the Eastern Conference — the answer was usually Haliburton for the first half, Brunson for the second (with a little Donovan Mitchell sprinkled between). 

Without any evidence of personal animosity (Brunson and Haliburton seem to quite like each other), these two have been waging a status war in the same way Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallonne might've been competing in the 1980s. 

Now Brunson and Haliburton will go head-to-head in the Eastern Conference semis.

It's the biggest storyline of the Pacers-Knicks series, and multi-layered in its intrigue. 

They play the same position but are wholly different players, with styles that befit and dictate their team's respective identities.

Halliburton, at 6-foot-5 and lanky, is a distributor, a wiz in transition and the NBA's leader in assists per game. 

Brunson, at 6-foot-1 and is more methodical in the halfcourt and isolation, combining his underrated strength and elite footwork to create the smidgens of space necessary to get off a shot. 

It's not hyperbole to suggest the better point-guard play will determine the winner of the Knicks-Pacers series. But like Brunson vs. Tyrese Maxey in Round 1, they're probably not going to guard each other much. 

In three games this season against the Pacers, Brunson was most often defended by Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith.

Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the NBA playoffs

• Knicks down to final chance after Pacers' Game 6 rout
• Josh Hart asked out of Game 6 in apparent Knicks injury concern
• Vaccaro: Resilient Knicks will face one more test of wills in pressure-packed Game 7
• Ex-Knicks stars distraught while watching ugly Game 6 loss to Pacers
• Knicks have Game 7 Garden history on their side going into win-or-go-home Pacers matchup

It didn't work for Indiana.

Brunson averaged 35.7 points while shooting better than 49 percent in the three games. 

Haliburton? He put up 19.7 points with 13.3 assists per game versus New York, making it a point to stare down Szczerbiak while beating the Knicks in late December. 

Five months later, Brunson and Haliburton can go a long way to settling the debate. 

Here are four other storylines to watch in Pacers vs. Knicks: 

Haste vs. relaxed

The series is a clash of extreme styles. 

Indiana lives up to its nickname with the second-fastest pace in the NBA at 102.2 possessions per game in the regular season.

The Knicks were the slowest at 95.95 possessions. 

That translated to league-high 123.3 points per game for the Pacers, compared to 112.8 for the Knicks. 

Here's why that's an advantage for New York: In the playoffs, the pace slows dramatically (the Pacers were down to an 92.89-possession average in the first round with the Bucks), and the Knicks are more comfortable grinding out possessions in the halfcourt. 

Former Raptors showdown

OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam were teammates for six-plus seasons in Toronto.

They went through playoff battles together.

They won a championship. 

Now they'll face off in the second round and don't be surprised if Siakam and Anunoby are going head-to-head as opposing forwards.

Siakam is a handful and was probably Indiana's best player in the first-round victory over Milwaukee. 

Anunoby is New York's most versatile defender. 

Obi reunion

Leon Rose's highest draft pick was traded to the Pacers before last season and is coming off the best playoff game of his career, when he dropped 21 points on the Bucks on Thursday's Game 6. 

Toppin had some positive moments in New York, but the stint was underwhelming and he got into a heated argument with coach Tom Thibodeau during the Heat series a year ago. 

Toppin and Thibs were a bad fit then, and we'll see where it goes as opponents. 

History of hatred

This series is going to drum up the tales of Reggie Miller's choke sign and Spike Lee's antagonizing and Patrick Ewing's finger roll and Rik Smits and Roy Hibbert blocking Carmelo Anthony and our favorite nickname for this rivalry, "Hicks vs. Knicks."