Photo Credit:ESPN
Tyrese Haliburton understood immediately what had gone wrong. Just minutes into Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the 25-year-old Indiana Pacers guard drove toward the basket, landed awkwardly on his right leg, and collapsed in pain. The injury to his Achilles was both sudden and devastating. Haliburton pounded the hardwood and cried out, “No! No!” as the weight of the moment sank in.
The seriousness of the situation became clear as players and fans watched in silence. “All of our hearts dropped,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters following the 103-91 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers had come within reach of their first-ever NBA Championship, but Haliburton’s early exit changed everything.
Throughout the postseason, Haliburton had been the driving force behind Indiana’s remarkable run. After entering the playoffs as a No. 4 seed with a 50-32 regular-season record, the Pacers took their game to another level. Haliburton led the team in minutes, averaging 17.3 points and 8.6 assists per game. He delivered in crucial moments, hitting four go-ahead or game-tying shots in the final five seconds of playoff games, according to NBA.com.
The guard from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, had already been nursing a calf injury sustained in Game 5. Heading into the final game, he was clear about his intentions. “If I can walk, I want to play,” he said.
But only minutes into the decisive matchup, his right calf gave way. As he fell to the floor, his teammates quickly surrounded him, some of them visibly shaken. Haliburton, unable to stand, was eventually helped off the court with tears in his eyes. The game, and potentially the championship, slipped from the Pacers’ hands at that very moment.
Indiana kept fighting, cutting the Thunder’s lead to 10 points late in the fourth quarter. However, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league MVP, proved too dominant. As the final buzzer sounded, ABC cameras captured emotional Pacers players embracing Haliburton, who stood on crutches greeting them with hugs.
"We are all devastated for him," T.J. McConnell shared. Obi Toppin admitted he thought about Haliburton throughout the game. Pascal Siakam added, “He gave everything he had. It just hurts that he couldn’t finish it with us.”
The seriousness of the situation became clear as players and fans watched in silence. “All of our hearts dropped,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters following the 103-91 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers had come within reach of their first-ever NBA Championship, but Haliburton’s early exit changed everything.
Throughout the postseason, Haliburton had been the driving force behind Indiana’s remarkable run. After entering the playoffs as a No. 4 seed with a 50-32 regular-season record, the Pacers took their game to another level. Haliburton led the team in minutes, averaging 17.3 points and 8.6 assists per game. He delivered in crucial moments, hitting four go-ahead or game-tying shots in the final five seconds of playoff games, according to NBA.com.
The guard from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, had already been nursing a calf injury sustained in Game 5. Heading into the final game, he was clear about his intentions. “If I can walk, I want to play,” he said.
But only minutes into the decisive matchup, his right calf gave way. As he fell to the floor, his teammates quickly surrounded him, some of them visibly shaken. Haliburton, unable to stand, was eventually helped off the court with tears in his eyes. The game, and potentially the championship, slipped from the Pacers’ hands at that very moment.
Indiana kept fighting, cutting the Thunder’s lead to 10 points late in the fourth quarter. However, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league MVP, proved too dominant. As the final buzzer sounded, ABC cameras captured emotional Pacers players embracing Haliburton, who stood on crutches greeting them with hugs.
"We are all devastated for him," T.J. McConnell shared. Obi Toppin admitted he thought about Haliburton throughout the game. Pascal Siakam added, “He gave everything he had. It just hurts that he couldn’t finish it with us.”