June 23 (UPI) -- Tyrese Haliburton's first-quarter leg injury "sucked the soul" out of the Indiana Pacers early on in their devastating loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, forward Obi Topppin told reporters.
Toppin made the comments in the locker room after the 103-91 setback Sunday in Oklahoma City. The All-Star point guard conducted one of the league's best offenses throughout the regular season and postseason, but was forced to play through a calf injury in the NBA Finals.
He made three 3-pointers in a 92-second span in the first quarter, but aggravated his leg issue and collapsed to the floor about seven minutes into the game. He never returned.
"We needed Ty out there," Toppin said. "He's been good for us all year. For him to go down at the beginning of the game like that sucked that soul out of us. ... I don't feel like I played good because I was thinking about it the whole day and I felt like it was my fault."
The game was tied 16-16 with 5:02 remaining in the first quarter when Toppin threw a pass to Haliburton on the left flank. Haliburton, who already made 3 of his first 5 shots, caught the ball, threw down a dribble and moved forward while being defended by Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
But the Pacers guard collapsed to the floor during his initial burst, with the back of his right leg appearing to snap, potentially indicating an Achilles injury.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Pacers players almost immediately went to comfort Haliburton, who was eventually assisted to the locker room, where he watched the rest of the game.
"You just hate to see it in sports in general, but in this moment, my heart dropped for him," Gilgeous-Alexander said of the Haliburton injury. "I couldn't imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening. It's not fair. But competition isn't fair sometimes.
"I just felt so bad for him. Just asked if he was okay. Obviously, he wasn't. Prayers go out to him, for sure. Hell of a player. Future is bright. That team is going to be really good for a long time. Yeah, impressive team, impressive player. Wish him the best of luck."
Haliburton's father, who was visibly emotional in the stands, confirmed to ESPN that his son sustained an Achilles injury. Despite his absence, the Pacers went on to carry a one-point lead into halftime, but they faded over the final 24 minutes of the loss.
"What happened with Tyrese, all of our hearts dropped," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "But he will be back. I don't have any medical information about what may or may not have happened, but he'll be back in time, and I believe he'll make a full recovery.
"He authored one of the great individual playoff runs in the history of the NBA with dramatic play after dramatic play. It was just something that no one's ever seen and did it as 1 of 17. You know, that's the beautiful thing about him. As great a player as he is, it's always a team thing. And so, our hearts go out to him."
Broadcast cameras caught Haliburton on crutches as he waited for his teammates in the tunnel after the game. The emotional Pacers players each greeted Haliburton one-by-one, with some exchanging long embraces with the star guard before going to the locker room.
"That's just who Ty is," Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said. "To go down like that and be selfless and just continuing to cheer for us, and even though he can't play, I think that just speaks volumes to who Tyrese Haliburton is, one of the greatest human beings I've come in contact with. Great teammate.
"Obviously hurting for him but that's just who he is."