The Indiana Pacers had a tough ending to their otherwise outstanding 2024-25 NBA season. On the cusp of bringing home the franchise's first-ever NBA championship and needing just a win on Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder to complete that mission, Indiana appeared to be ready to shock the home team — and the world, as Tyrese Haliburton was sending a strong message with his play.

Haliburton scored nine points with three 3-pointers in just a little over seven minutes of action — or until a painful lower-body injury took him down and forced him to miss the rest of the game.

It was later revealed that Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury that made even standing up, let alone walking, hard for the former Iowa State Cyclones star.

Haliburton spent the rest of the game in the locker room, and when it was all said and done on the court, with Indiana absorbing a 103-91 loss to Oklahoma City, he was seen on crutches greeting his teammates in the hallway. Another video also showed Haliburton leaving Paycom Center, still on crutches and walking boot. It was a saddening sight, especially for the Pacers and their fans, who were given lots of thrills by Haliburton's memorable performance in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

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It remains to be seen just how long Haliburton will have to recover from the injury, but it's likely going to be a long one, given its nature. He concluded his playoff campaign with averages of 17.3 points on a 46.3 percent shooting from the field, 5.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists through 23 games. He had some of the most clutch buckets in playoff history during the Pacers' 2025 postseason run.

There was his game-winning stepback triple against the Eastern Conference top seeds Cleveland Cavaliers, the unreal 3-pointer that forced overtime against the New York Knicks and his dagger jumper to complete Indiana's wild comeback in Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Oklahoma City.

Hopefully for Haliburton and the Pacers franchise, he will be back in top form in time for the 2025-26 NBA regular season, as Indiana looks to defend its Eastern Conference crown — and win the Larry O'Brien Trophy.