Tyrese Haliburton had to be helped off the court in emotional scenes after the Pacers guard went down injured midway through the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Monday.
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Haliburton, who had suffered a calf injury which ESPN’s Shams Charania previously described as a “multi-week” issue, played through it with no issues in Game 6 to keep Indiana’s championship run alive.
But as he went to step and take on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Haliburton crumbled to the floor in agony.
The way Haliburton went down sparked fears he may have torn his Achilles, which would make him the third player to suffer that injury in the postseason along with Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard.
It would also be a case of history repeating after Kevin Durant returned from a strained calf in the 2019 NBA Finals, only to tear his Achilles in Game 5 at Toronto.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said it was “as devastating of a moment as I can remember seeing”.
The Thunder led 18-16 at that point and went on to take a 25-22 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Obviously it goes without saying that it was a crushing blow for the Pacers, who lost the engine of their offence, but it was particularly brutal given Haliburton had been hot to start Monday’s game.
The Indiana guard made three of his first four 3-point attempts, showing no hesitation and no concern for his injured calf as he confidently launched bombs from deep.
GAME 7 Locked In! Pacers Dominate OKC | 02:23
With Haliburton out of the game, even more responsibility would fall onto the shoulders of Andrew Nembhard, who operated as the primary ballhandler early in Monday’s game.
He also locked Gilgeous-Alexander up on one particular possession, having impressed all series with his defence on the MVP.
Despite that, MVPs are going to get their points, as Gilgeous-Alexander did in the first quarter with a pair of field goals and two free throws as he put pressure on the rim early.
It was the Haliburton show otherwise and that forced Thunder coach Mark Daigneault into a quick timeout, sending Chet Holmgren to the bench as OKC went away from the two-big line-up and found immediate success from Alex Caruso, who drained a pair of quick 3-pointers.
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