With so many stars suffering ruptured Achilles tendons during the NBA Playoffs, concerns are mounting about the increasing frequency of this injury. Some are now suggesting athletes sit out after even minor calf issues — which make the Achilles more vulnerable — to prevent further damage. That might happen during the regular season, but Paul George says he himself and most of his peers would play through everything they possibly can come playoff time.
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The Indiana Pacers reached the NBA Finals for the first time in over two decades, a feat the franchise may not repeat in the foreseeable future. So, even though Tyrese Haliburton claimed he would have rested during the regular season, there was no chance he was going to miss Game 7.
George didn’t question Hali’s decision one bit, but he does wish the Pacers had handled their star’s health more carefully throughout the series.
“And I was thinking … Indy should probably sit him Game 3, right?” George asked his guests on Podcast P. “They did their job, they split back in Oklahoma … Game 3, it looked like he was questionable at that point. Was he gonna play? Was he not gonna play? How bad was the injury? He came out and just didn’t look himself.”
The 35-year-old understands why Haliburton insisted on playing as long as he could, but with the momentum having shifted in Indy’s favor, George believes it would have been the perfect opportunity to let him recover. The extra rest may have been enough to put Hali in a better physical state for a potential Game 7.
“Hindsight, you wanna play that. But if you were able to kinda foresee an injury like this coming, ‘Uh, maybe we should sit him Game 3, try to at least give him a little rest, and then try to get Game 4, win that,'” George continued. “‘Cause he wasn’t himself Game 3.”
George had compared Haliburton’s Achilles tear to Kevin Durant’s in the 2019 NBA Finals, but even KD’s rupture didn’t come within one win of a championship. Only a handful of current stars in the league have been in the position that Haliburton was just days ago. No real competitor would pass up a chance to play in a possible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“That’s what it comes [down to]. If you in the Finals, you want to play, period. Point blank period,” PG stressed. “Regardless what’s going on. Give me the pill, give me the shot in the a**.”
PG’s cohost Jackie Long believes many of today’s stars have adopted Kobe Bryant’s mentality. The late Lakers legend stopped at nothing to suit up every night throughout his career, even playing through concerning injuries.
Haliburton suffered the most consequential injury possible at absolutely the worst time. But, like so many other stars who experienced a similarly unfortunate fate, the two-time All-Star will come back better and ready to compete. At just 25 years old, Haliburton should have another decade of great hoops in store upon his return.
