With their backs against the wall, the Indiana Pacers stood in the face of adversity and pushed forward. Indiana put forth a dominant performance to force the 2025 NBA Finals to a win-or-go-home Game 7. A team effort led to the emphatic 108-91 victory, but Tyrese Haliburton’s resilience spoke volumes in regard to Indiana’s title aspirations.
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Ahead of Game 6, there were serious concerns about whether Haliburton would even play. During the first half of Game 5, the two-time All-Star suffered a calf strain. Taking his performance in the game into consideration, the odds of him suiting up seemed unlikely.
NBA insider Shams Charania reported that doctors notified Haliburton that his injury typically takes multiple weeks to recover. The Pacers’ star refused to let anything hold him back from playing. As long as he could walk, he would play, and that’s exactly what he did.
Not only did he play, but he also provided key contributions for the Pacers. NBA analyst Jay Williams couldn’t contain his praise for Haliburton’s display of guts.
“I think this is [Tyrese Haliburton] spitting in the face of narratives,” Williams said on ESPN’s First Take. “He is the engine of this car. He got them going in the second half.
Williams has fully hopped on the Haliburton hype train and for good reason. The 6-foot-5 guard has endured a plethora of criticism throughout his young career. His peers voted him as the most overrated player in the league. On top of that, Indiana has been the underdog in every playoff series aside from the first round during this Finals run.
Williams’ co-host Stephen A. Smith has been one of those people critical of Haliburton throughout the postseason. However, he had to give credit where credit was due.
“I was very proud of him. He did not look like a dude with a strained calf,” Smith proclaimed.
Haliburton finished the game with 14 points and 5 assists in only 23 minutes. He was running in transition and even connected on his patented logo three-pointer. Regardless, a big turnaround from his 4-point performance in Game 5.
As impressive as Haliburton has been considering the circumstances, Gilbert Arenas doesn’t want to jump off the ship with praise. “Haliburton has been playing decent basketball; he hasn’t been great. He didn’t do anything outside of what he has done for Games 2 and 4,” Arenas said.
It’ll be hard for the Pacers to demand plenty out of Haliburton due to his health. Nonetheless, they will need Haliburton to play as best as he can. This is the moment dreams are made of.
Haliburton and the Pacers will have the opportunity to win their first-ever NBA championship for Indiana. The stage couldn’t have been set better, as this would be the first Game 7 in the NBA Finals since 2016.
