Next season in doubt for Haliburton as sources say star tore achilles in NBA finals Game 7 | Indiana Pacers
The star of Indiana Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton, suffered an Achilles tendon torn apart during the defeat of match 7 of the NBA final on Sunday evening against Oklahoma City, ESPN reported on Monday. The recovery time of a basketball player with a torn Achilles tendon generally varies from eight to 10 months.
On Sunday, with five minutes to make the first quarter, Haliburton pushed his right foot to initiate a journey to the basket. But instead of maneuvering in front of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he fell on the ground in agony. While the Thunder went in the other direction for a dunk, Haliburton beat the ground with his fist and could not put any weight on his injured leg while being escorted in the locker room.
Without Haliburton, the Pacers were upgraded 56-43 in the second half while Oklahoma City won the championship with a 103-91 victory.
“I couldn’t imagine that it happens in the biggest game in my life,” said Gilgeous-Alexander after the match when he asked Haliburton’s injury. “It’s so unhappy, it’s not fair.”
Haliburton, 25, had played through a tense straight calf, an injury he would have suffered in the defeat of the Indiana match 5 in Oklahoma City.
The double All-Star collected an average of 14.0 points, 5.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds in the NBA final, and made several clutch shots during the team race during the playoffs.
The other Damian Lillard stars of the Milwaukee Bucks and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics are currently recovering from torn Achilles. They also suffered their injuries during this qualifying series. Haliburton’s injury also recalled that that suffered by Kevin during the NBA final in 2019 – during the next season.
Haliburton collected an average of 18.6 points, 9.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 73 games (all departures) during the regular season. He has a career averages of 17.5 points, 8.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 333 games (294 departures) for the Kings of Sacramento (2020-22) and Pacers.
