A damned shame: Haliburton injures his Achilles in Game 7, and the thrill ride is over

This will be one of sports' greatest what-ifs for time immemorial: Could the Pacers have beaten the Thunder if Haliburton had remained healthy? Gutting to consider.

Today, our city is in mourning.

“No, no, no, no!” Tyrese Haliburton cried out as he pounded the Paycom Center floor, his Achilles snapping in close to the same spot where he initially hurt his right calf earlier in the NBA Finals.

“I did it! I did it!” he said, referring to the torn Achilles, the tears coming readily, his face a mask of terror and disappointment.

Today, we are mourning. So close to an NBA championship, less than 48 minutes to a championship – shoot, 24 minutes -- and wasn’t Haliburton rolling in those early moments? You could see it and feel it: This was going to be an aggressive Haliburton, the Pacers’ guard hitting three early three-pointers This was going to be one of those Tyrese Haliburton games. You could see it. You could feel it. The score was OKC, 18-16, when it happened, and while the Pacers gutted their way to a one-point halftime lead, you knew it was over. In the third quarter, OKC picked up the defense, forced turnovers, grew their lead, and it was over.

A shame. A terrible shame.

What is it about our town and these injuries? It was Peyton Manning’s neck. It was Andrew Luck’s shoulder. It was Paul George’s broken leg. It was Victor Oladipo’s torn quad. Now, on a somewhat lesser scale, it’s Anthony Richardson’s shoulder.

Are we cursed?

Look, Haliburton knew the risks. He knew his Achilles could go anytime. A weakened and injured calf meant that was a possibility all along, just as we saw with Kevin Durant in 2019, or Boston’s Jasum Tatum, or Milwaukee’s Dame Lillard. I don’t blame anybody, not the doctors, not Tyrese, not anybody. Everybody knew the odds involved. But how can you NOT play in Games 6 and 7 in the NBA Finals? As Haliburton suggested prior to Game 6, he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he didn’t give it a try. Maybe somebody should have protected him from himself, but you work your entire life for this moment; if there’s a chance to go, you play.