The Oklahoma City Thunder deserve the praise they’re getting for winning the 2025 NBA championship. The losing side should be given props too, though, for the fight they put up in light of Tyrese Haliburton’s untimely Achilles injury. Hali’s the third star to suffer this potential career-altering injury in the postseason and eighth on the year — three on the Indiana Pacers alone. Now, many around the league are trying to figure out the surge in soft tissue injuries.
Advertisement
Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals didn’t live up to its full potential. After connecting on three quick three-pointers, Haliburton attempted to blow past Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In the process, he completely snapped his Achilles tendon.
George didn’t need to wait for a reporter to confirm Haliburton’s injury. He knew the reality as soon as he saw it.
“I knew right as I seen him fall down,” George said on Podcast P. “Then they replayed it, he looked back to see what happened. You could see him say, ‘It’s done.'”
No player nor the league wants to see this trend continue to develop, and many seem frustrated by the lack of data explaining the significant increase in soft tissue injuries. George hasn’t suffered a torn Achilles but uses his extensive injury history to provide a possible reason for this development.
“I’ve had injuries where I’ve received shots or taken pills to numb the pain. My body is telling me it’s broken down, but you don’t feel s**t anymore,” George revealed.
No information has been released to suggest that Haliburton was given treatment to numb the pain of his calf strain. But under the assumption that he was, there may have been more damage than the Pacers and Haliburton were aware of.
If this were the regular season, Haliburton wouldn’t have even suited up after the strain. But increased stakes lead star players to put their bodies on the line in hopes of winning a title. Paul George did the same ahead of the 2019 NBA playoffs.
George had dealt with a shoulder injury leading into the Thunder’s first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers. The box score suggests that nothing was wrong with the 6-foot-8 star. He averaged 28.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Immediately after the OKC’s early elimination, George underwent surgery to repair a partial tear of his left labrum. His performance was great in the games he played because medications minimized the pain, but those treatments didn’t eliminate the injury.
Like George, on the surface, Haliburton looked completely healthy to begin Game 7. Unfortunately, also like George’s experience, the reality of his body’s situation came crashing down.
The pace of play has increased since George’s personal experience of playing through an injury. He believes this also contributes to why injuries such as Haliburton’s are becoming more common in the NBA.
“How fast Indiana plays, the pace they play at,” George said. “It’s a lot more possessions, it’s a lot more up and down.”
The NBA may be lacking in the physicality department in comparison to past eras, but the demand on the body is just as great, if not greater. This is an issue the NBA needs to address, or the well-being of players will be in jeopardy due.
