By Matthew Davis
Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton endured a nightmarish Game 5 in the NBA Finals on Monday amid a right calf injury and just four points scored.
With his team down 3–2 in the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Haliburton isn’t about to let the season die if he can do something about it. Haliburton, who averaged 17.7 points per game in the series before Monday, doesn’t want the right calf injury to prevent him from playing in Game 6 on Thursday and beyond if the Pacers can stay alive.
“If I can walk, then I want to play,” Haliburton told reporters on Monday after a 120–109 loss to the Thunder.
Haliburton played 34 minutes despite the fact that he hurt his calf in the first quarter. He shot 0–6 from the field but went 4–4 at the free-throw line, and Haliburton grabbed seven rebounds and dished six assists.
“Just trying to keep pace in the game, impact whatever way I can,” Haliburton said. “Try to get the ball to guys in the right spots if I can.”
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged the injury and said he expects Haliburton to keep playing. Haliburton will get two days’ rest before the series heads back to Indianapolis, but he will have to play again on June 22 if the Pacers force Game 7 in Oklahoma City.
“Haliburton’s not a hundred percent,” Carlisle told reporters on Monday.
“There’s a lot of guys in the series that aren’t.
“This is a lifetime opportunity. Not many guys are going to sit, even if they are a little banged up. If you’re injured, that’s a different story. But we’ll evaluate everything with Tyrese.”
Haliburton’s playing will be a morale boost for the Pacers. He has been stellar throughout the playoffs with 17.9 points, 9.1 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game.
That goes back to the regular season, too, where Haliburton averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists per game as he helped the team go 50–32. Until Monday, Indiana hadn’t lost back-to-back games since a three-game skid in March.
“He’s a fighter,” Pacers forward Pascal Siakam told reporters on Monday.
“He’s been our rock all year. He’s a big reason why we’re here. I don’t know exactly what’s wrong, but I know he’s fighting and he’s going to give us everything he’s got.
“One thing he showed, his resiliency. He showed that all year. We can continue to count on him to keep fighting. I admire that from him, just because I know that it’s hard. We’ve got a couple of days. Take care of our bodies, rest well and be ready for Game 6.”
Despite back-to-back losses, the Pacers had positives against the Thunder. Siakam led Indiana with 28 points, and the Pacers got within two of the Thunder in the fourth quarter, 95–93, before OKC held off Indiana for the win.
Indiana once had a 2–1 series lead with a chance to go up 3–1 with Game 4 in Indianapolis. OKC won that one 111–104, but missing an opportunity to take the series doesn’t feel new to the Pacers.
“We’ve had our backs against the wall many different times over the last two years and had to find different ways to win,” Haliburton said.
“The way that this year has gone, nobody said this was going to be sweet.
“It’s kind of poetic that we’re here. We’ve got to be ready to go for Game 6. Our backs are against the wall. It’s a really tough team. Everybody has to be prepared. It starts with me, and we’ve all got to be better. That’s just point-blank, period.”
Haliburton wants to have a better Game 6 individually, in addition to just getting back on the court amid a recent injury.
“It’s the finals,” Haliburton said. “I’ve worked my whole life to be here and I want to be out there to compete, help my teammates any way I can. I was not great tonight by any means, but it’s not really a thought of mine to not play here.”
