Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton had every basketball lover up out of their seat on Wednesday night when he shot what he thought was the game-winning triple in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals vs. the New York Knicks.

After the make, he stoked the anger of every blue-and-orange fan in Madison Square Garden by pulling out the infamous Reggie Miller "choke" move in celebration—only for the refs to rule the bucket a two and send the game to overtime.

Still, the celly rang true in the end, even if it came just a moment too early—the Knicks ultimately lost 138-135, and the Pacers now have an absolutely ice-cold photo to hang up in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Considering it harkened back to New York's loss to the Pacers in the ECF years ago, however, it's safe to say Knicks fans probably did not take kindly to the gesture, which still might have come a bit prematurely in the series.

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle really isn't worried about it, though.

"Players can do what they want," Carlisle said after the game. "It's an emotional thing. It's not a big deal."

The coach then emphasized how loud and crazy MSG was Wednesday night, and how that energy and passion are standard practice for the postseason.

"At this time of year, you want to go into the most hostile, the most difficult environments and test your mettle. Go against Brunson, KAT, Bridges, these guys. ... It's not a big deal to me. Tyrese has earned the right to do whatever he wants."

Watch that answer below:

The good news for N.Y. fans? They'll have another chance to get revenge on Hali's Pacers come Game 2 on Friday night.

More NBA Playoffs on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pacers' Rick Carlisle Isn't Worried About How Haliburton's Choke Celebration Came Off.

Test hyperlink for boilerplate