After the Indiana Pacers’ thrilling 138-135 overtime victory against the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Kate Linklark praised her team, noting their incredible ability to come back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
“Pacer is the greatest comeback team I’ve ever seen,” Clark, 23, shared on X, highlighting the game-changing moment when Tyreese Halliburton hit a clutch jumper to tie the score at 125-125 as time expired.
Halliburton’s girlfriend, Jade Jones, also celebrated, reposting Clark’s remarks on her Instagram story. The four share a close friendship; Jones and Halliburton are buddies with Clark and her partner, Conor McCaffery, who previously worked with the Pacers.
Halliburton reflected on this bond during a Pacer Media interview last September, mentioning, “I’ve gotten quite close with Conor being an intern. I grew up being pretty close to Kaitlyn and him. We have group chats where we chat about pretty much everything.”
He added that he valued their friendship, emphasizing that while he enjoys discussing basketball with Clark, that’s not the only reason for their connection. “If she wants to talk about basketball, that’s cool; if not, that’s fine too,” he said.
McCaffery, who is the son of University of Pennsylvania’s head coach Fran McCaffery, joined Butler as an assistant coach under head coach Sad Matta last September. Last Halloween, the couples got together to celebrate, continuing their strong friendship.
Clark and McCaffery marked two years together in April, while Halliburton and Jones celebrated their sixth anniversary around the same time.
The Pacers and Fever franchises openly support each other, with Halliburton attending many Fever games last season. Clark even participated in a Pacers hype event during the first playoff round against the Bucks last month.
As the Pacers gear up for Game 2 against the Knicks on Friday, the excitement around the team is palpable.
