Pacers' Haliburton Had 1 of the Greatest NBA Playoff Runs Before Injury, Carlisle Says
Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle had nothing but praise for his young superstar after a devastating injury cut short his night early in Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"All of our hearts dropped. He will be back," Carlisle told reporters after the game. "...He authored one of the great individual playoff runs in the history of the NBA."
Haliburton's father told ESPN's Lisa Salters that the 25-year-old suffered an Achilles injury.
"He said that Tyrese is doing as well as he can be under the circumstances," Salters said on the broadcast.
With 4:55 left in the first quarter of Game 7, Haliburton suddenly crumpled to the floor after a non-contact injury while driving to the basket. Grimacing in pain, he slammed his fist against the court.
Teammates quickly formed a circle around him before he was helped off the floor and escorted to the locker room.
Haliburton averaged 14.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists in the NBA Finals while playing through a calf injury sustained in Game 5. Over the entire postseason, he posted averages of 18.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.3 steals, shooting 46.1 percent from the field.
The 25-year-old had a breakout season, leading the Pacers to their first NBA Finals appearance since the 1999–2000 season.
