The Indiana Pacers' Eastern Conference Finals status just went from bad to worse. Yes, they find themselves down 0-2 in the series after a tough Game 2 loss to the Boston Celtics on the road. That's coming off of a Game 1 where they let the win slip away from them. However, the more pressing matter is Tyrese Haliburton's status after the second game.
During the third quarter of Game 2, Tyrese Haliburton exited the game with an apparent injury. That injury was later revealed to be a hamstring injury. The Pacers star point guard would not return to the game, and the team would go on to lose the game.
After the game, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle gave an update on Tyrese Haliburton's injury, per ESPN. Carlisle revealed that the star guard reaggravated an injury he suffered in January this year. His status will be determined once they get back to Indiana for the next two games of the series.
“”He was sore at halftime,” Carlisle said after the game. “He was getting work done for the entirety of halftime. He came out, gave it a shot and all the effort that he could. I haven't talked about it directly to him, so I can't read minds, but it wasn't going well. The trainers determined he had to be brought to the back to be worked on, and then he was ruled out.””
Haliburton, a member of the 2024 All-NBA Second Team, has been an integral part of the Pacers' success this season. In fact, before the Pascal Siakam trade, Haliburton carried almost all of the offensive load for Indiana. Losing him in such a critical stage of the season will be brutal for Indiana.
Pacers' playoff outlook vs. Celtics
That being said, this scenario is the exact reason why they traded for Pascal Siakam in the first place. Having just one man run your entire offense was never going to be sustainable for the Pacers. If Haliburton ends up missing a few games, they can hopefully count on Siakam's championship experience to help them survive the games without Haliburton.
The Pacers have surprisingly given the Celtics a good run for their money in this Eastern Conference matchup. Many expected this series to be a quick and easy blowout for the Celtics. They've been the best team in the East all season long, and the Pacers aren't perceived as a title contender at all. So far, though, Indiana has kept pace with Boston all series long. In fact, before Haliburton's injury, the Pacers were neck-and-neck with the Celtics in Game 2.
With Haliburton potentially being ruled out, or possibly limited if he does play, the rest of the Pacers squad needs to step up. Siakam's a given, but there's also pressure on the supporting cast to pick up the load. Backup PG TJ McConnell said it best.
“”That's a time for this group for everyone to step up and take a bigger role,” Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said on the prospect of playing without Haliburton. “We've done a good job of that when he's been out. It hurts when he goes down, but one of those things where it's the ‘next man up' mentality. Obviously, we'll see. We haven't heard anything yet, but guys will just have to step up and be ready.””
The Pacers have a chance to even the score as the series shifts to Indiana. Can they do that even with the possibility that their star will not be available?
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