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The resurgent New York Knicks brought the city to life, as the postgame celebrations outside Madison Square Garden grow larger and larger with each win. It has been a joyous, rowdy scene for Knicks fans, but that has also made it a tough place to find yourself wearing the jersey of another team. 

A Pacers fan and firefighter named Hans Perez was out in a Tyrese Haliburton jersey after the Knicks win over Boston to advance to the conference finals against Indiana, and got pelted with bags of trash by a group of Knicks fans.

Haliburton caught wind of that via Pat McAfee, and surprised Perez Monday with a trip to Game 4 in Indianapolis for the full VIP treatment for what should be a massive game in the series. 

The Knicks and Pacers had one of the great rivalries in the Eastern Conference back in the 90s, as the two teams met in the playoffs six times in eight seasons from 1993 to 2000. Familiarity breeds contempt in sports, and despite just one meeting (2013) from 2001 to 2023, the fans of both teams still hate each other. 

Last year the two teams met in the conference semifinals, with Indiana coming out on top 4-2, and in the process Tyrese Haliburton took the mantle from Reggie Miller as the most-hated Pacer in New York. On Wednesday, the latest chapter in the rivalry will be written when they meet in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in New York, the first time they've played with a trip to the Finals on the line since 2000. 

Haliburton will be the focal point of a rowdy crowd in MSG in Games 1 and 2, but he seems to fully embrace his role as a villain in New York. That makes him an even bigger hero in Indiana, and he'll play that up at home and earns even more goodwill with Pacers fans by taking care of one of their own by bringing Perez out to experience Game 4 in a much friendlier environment for someone decked out in Pacers gear.