The Indiana Pacers suffered two tragedies on Sunday night in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. In the first quarter, they saw star point guard Tyrese Haliburton go down with what appeared to be an Achilles tear in the same leg he had been dealing with a calf strain. After that, they went on to lose and come one win short of a championship.
Losing the NBA Finals was a tough enough blow. However, likely losing Haliburton for the entirety of the 2025-26 season was an even tougher pill to swallow.
Unfortunately, the Pacers went from a team who were expected to be right back in the championship hunt next season to a team with a real chance of missing the playoffs in just one moment.
Following the injury, Haliburton has received a lot of love and support from the players, fans, and media alike. Caitlin Clark, the superstar guard for the Indiana Fever, had no words in her reaction and message to Haliburton.
Clark took to her Instagram account to send her message. She included four heart emojis and four praying hands emojis.
That is a similar reaction to what the entire Pacers' fan base had. It was known that Haliburton was at a high risk of an Achilles injury due to the calf strain he was dealing with. The second he went down in Game 7, fans knew what had happened.
Sadly, there is nothing that can be done. Haliburton will now go through a long and grueling recovery process. There are questions about whether or not he will be able to continue playing the way that has made him so special in his career.
At this time, there is no use speculating about his individual future. Indiana will have a lot of decisions to make about the team's future as a whole.
Without Haliburton, who the entire team is built around, the Pacers will have a tough time competing in the Eastern Conference. They could choose to keep the team together, or perhaps they could consider moving off of some pieces and re-tolling for the 2026-27 season and a hopeful Haliburton return.
No one knows what to expect, but the offseason just got much more interesting for Indiana.
Hopefully, Haliburton will be able to make a full recovery and pick up where he left off. That is far from a guarantee, but he will have no shortage of love and support pouring in for him as he rehabs and works to return to the Pacers.
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