"All of hour hearts dropped": Rick Carlisle describes raw emotions after Tyrese Haliburton popped his Achilles in Game 7

Rick Carlisle described the Indiana Pacers' raw emotions after Tyrese Haliburton popped his Achilles in Sunday's NBA Finals Game 7 loss to the OKC Thunder. Seven minutes in, Haliburton, who was dealing with a right calf strain, suffered the worst outcome after opting to gut it out on the floor by popping his Achilles, which not only ended his 2024-25 season but also the 2025-26 season.

Haliburton lay down in pain and cried his eyes out while pounding on the floor after he figured out the extent of the injury right away. The Pacers players surrounded him until he was up again and carried to the locker room with a towel on his face. Carlisle and the Pacers knew the unfortunate news, too.

"All of our hearts dropped," he said. "He will be back."

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Carlisle also hailed Haliburton for "authoring" one of the greatest individual NBA playoff runs after averaging 17.7 points and 9.0 assists. Haliburton hit four game-winners during this emphatic finals run.

Even in Game 7, he managed to get the Pacers off to a terrific start with nine quick points, shooting 3 of 4 from deep.

Tyrese Haliburton exits Paycom Center on crutches after Achilles pop

Tyrese Haliburton exited the building on crutches after popping his Achilles tendon in Sunday's Game 7 loss to the OKC Thunder. Haliburton couldn't put any weight on his right leg after he went down in the first quarter. Here's a video of him after the game:

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Haliburton never returned to the bench once he headed to the locker room as he received initial treatment for his injury. He was spotted for the first time since his injury in the tunnel as he stood with his crutches to dap up his emotional teammates, who gave their all on the floor in his absence.

All eyes will be on Haliburton's next injury update for now and the Pacers' stopgap adjustments for next year in his absence. They will need another point guard in the offseason now, and there will be a few options to choose from through trade and free agency.

Chris Paul, Gabe Vincent, CJ McCollum, Malik Monk and Lonzo Ball could be among the stopgap additions for Indiana to look at.

About the author

Arhaan Raje is an Assistant Content Manager and Senior Writer with Sportskeeda's NBA/WNBA team with four years of experience.

Arhaan focuses on features, trends, listicles, and the latest rumors and reports circling the league's top teams and players. He emphasizes detailed research to create impactful content for readers. A fan of Xs and Os, Arhaan provides technical deep dives in his reporting.

Arhaan completed his bachelor's degree in BBA in Media and Entertainment Management from Mumbai, India.

Arhaan admires the killer mentality of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. He respects LeBron James for being a role model on and off the court. The bold and decisive Gregg Popovich stands out as Arhaan's favorite basketball coach. LeBron's epic chase-down block in the 2016 NBA Finals has a special place in Arhaan's basketball memories.

He has interviewed former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton and Ronnie 2K, the face of NBA2k and Marketing Director.

Sports isn't the only passion he has pursued professionally. Arhaan is also into performing arts in the music industry as a percussionist.

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Edited by Arhaan Raje