A season-ticket holder since 1985, Spike Lee has been a regular fixture at the New York Knicks games. Seated courtside, he always follows the orange and blue dress code. Calling him a superfan is no exaggeration, considering his unwavering support despite all the hardships the Knicks experienced over the past decades..

However, his passion and enthusiasm have occasionally brought him trouble as well. His back-and-forth with Reggie Miller during the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals was the most notable case. A particular moment that turned iconic was when Miller hit Lee with the choking sign.

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This memory continues to haunt Lee to this day. The veteran filmmaker and Knicks Killer share a great relationship today, even appearing together for interviews. When things started to look good, emerging Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton decided to turn back the clock and bring back old memories of a heated rivalry.

The event triggered some unpleasant memories from Lee’s past, which he never wanted to revisit. Nonetheless, Spike recently got a chance to tell Tyrese about how he had rekindled past trauma, which included potential tensions in his friendship with Reggie.

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“Even today, me and Reggie squashed that sh-t, it has been squashed. But you, you brought the shit back. We had the thing squashed, man, it was dead, and you brought it alive,” exclaimed Lee, showing Haliburton a sketch of Miller mocking him with the choke sign.

Hali recreated the iconic choke gesture in the 2025 ECF

The Knicks and Pacers are no strangers to playoff matchups. In what was their ninth postseason meeting, Indiana had a 5-3 lead. Looking to improve their lead further, Coach Rick Carlisle and crew set the tone right from Game One in Madison Square Garden.

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The Knicks were in complete cruise control for most of the game until the Pacers decided to flip the switch in the final moments. Under three minutes left in the fourth quarter, New York had a comfortable 14-point lead until Hailburton and Aaron Neismith decided to come to the party.

Going for the kill in the final seconds, Hali believed the Pacers had won Game One after he sank his alleged 3-pointer. Upon review, it was clear that he had stepped on the line, making it a 2-point play, which led to the game going into overtime. On a hot streak, the Pacers carried the momentum into overtime, eventually getting the W, with the final score being 138-135.

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The OG Knicks Killer had a mixed reaction initially

Pacers fans could not have asked for more, considering that Miller was also in the building, commentating for the TNT crew. Like most, the Hall of Famer was on high adrenaline when Haliburton sank the jumper, not realizing the officials had called for a review.

So, when it was ruled a 2-point play, Reggie did feel the celebration was a little premature, highlighting that they had still not won the game. Nevertheless, he was happy that the Pacers could clinch victory, which ultimately mattered the most.

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As the Pacers improve their playoff series record to 6-3 against the Knicks, Lee looks to deal with all the trolling and mockery on social media. Though Spike playfully held Haliburton accountable for all his emotional strain, he was indeed impressed with how the young lad played.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 18, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.