When Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in the biggest game of his life, the Pacers’ cornerstone was distraught. His emotions poured out on the floor when he knew the extent of his injury. It was a gamble to play that Game 7, given Hali suffered from a right calf strain. But nothing was going to stop him from doing so. And even after the injury, Haliburton didn’t abandon the mission.

He stayed around, on crutches, consoling his teammates after the devastating loss. But he was also the person who offered them encouragement at halftime. “He had a boot on, and he was defiantly encouraging of the other guys. We had a one-point lead at halftime, and you know it was 24 minutes and we just simply couldn’t get there,” head coach Rick Carlisle shared.

The Pacers felt the void that Tyrese Hal

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