There's nothing quite more heartbreaking for an NBA player than to suffer a potential long-term injury in the biggest game of his life, but that's exactly what happened to Tyrese Haliburton in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Haliburton, who was dealing with a calf injury, ended up tweaking his Achilles on a non-contact play, and his absence left quite a huge void as the Pacers suffered a 103-91 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, ending their championship dreams with a snap of a finger.

Haliburton was having an incredible game before he went down with an injury. The Pacers star came to play, drilling three triples on four attempts before going down with an Achilles injury. This only makes Indiana's heartbreak that much more devastating, as all they could do now is imagine what could have been after experiencing the pain that comes with what actually happened.

The NBA world is in unison, wishing Haliburton nothing but the best. In fact, another Indiana sporting icon, Caitlin Clark, posted a quick story on her Instagram account reacting to the Pacers star's injury.

Caitlin Clark reacts to Tyrese Haliburton's devastating Game 7 injury

Haliburton's injury seemed to ignite the Pacers in the first half, as it did not look evident that they were reeling at all from his loss. They even took a one-point lead into the halftime interval after Andrew Nembhard drilled a long three-pointer right over the outstretched arms of Chet Holmgren.

But in the second half, that's when Haliburton's injury was felt the most. The Thunder ramped up the defensive aggression, forcing one turnover after another, and having Haliburton could have helped the Pacers slow down and make the right reads offensively instead of speeding up into trouble.

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What's done is done, and the hope now is that Haliburton recovers back to full strength as quickly as possible.

Pacers will hold the fort amid Tyrese Haliburton's potential long-term absence

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) is assisted after an apparent injury following a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center.
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

If there's anything these Pacers have proven in this year's playoffs, it's that no adversity is too much for them to overcome. Haliburton's injury is not helpful whatsoever to their chances of competing next season, but they have enough talent and room to grow even further that they can remain in the playoff hunt even with Haliburton likely to miss a good chunk, if not the entirety of next season.

For now, it will be up to Clark and the Indiana Fever to try and give Indiana sports fans the basketball triumph everyone in the state has been craving for.