[Numbers On The Board] Tyrese Haliburton on tearing his Achilles in the Finals
I really respect how open he is about it.
I fuckin love this dude and I’m not even an Indy fan. He’s personable, talented, but also plays the heel and knows how to make competition fun
Hali fucking embarrassed my team and I would go to war for the man.
He embarrassed everyone. Yet we all enjoy him on and off the court.
He was working some magic those playoffs.
Bro those past two seasons he was spanking my team in the regular season and showed what we needed to do. I genuinely believe if he was able to just hold out for a few more minutes they would’ve won.
plays the heel…
He made me an Indy fan for that playoff run
The whole team had me hooked starting with that all star games thing they hosted a couple years ago. They just seemed different from the get go and give an actual f*ck
Of any non-Celtic, I want him to win a ring the most.
Us Iowa State fans couldn’t be happier to have him and Niang as ambassadors. The fact that Niang and Hali are brothers from another mother even tho they didn’t play together at ISU is an added bonus. Great dudes who continue to support ISU and Ames, every year for a few there’s been anonymous donors matching some 6 figure amount over X days to donations and we all know it’s them 2 without taking public credit.
He had me with the IG post after the olympics. The one where he compared himself to the kid who didn’t do shit for the group project but still got the A.
He’s insanely likable and it just adds more reason to root for a dude that is an absolute dawg on the court with a really fun to watch play style
Idk. I want to like him but the shot where his dad talked shit to Giannis made me think if the apple fell anywhere near the tree this ain’t a good person.
100% agree. His honesty is refreshing
Yup , amazing psyche mentality
He wrote a really good Player’s Tribune article about getting traded too IIRC, about how difficult it was for him to get shipped out when he’d spent the previous two years building his life in Sactown.
I also love that conversation with LeBron when he talks about the Olympic team meeting where they said that not everyone would get PT, and he slowly realized that they were talking about him. 😂
No does it better than Steven A
Hali pounding his hand on the floor repeatedly is always a hard watch. Pacers could’ve had it all.
Just hearing him say “I re-live it every day” hurt. I can’t imagine that kind of emotional whiplash he went through in those few seconds
Yeah he said it positively but man having had a bad injury in a much less significant moment you still live through that shit over and over. Maaaaan Hali.
I’m worried for the Pacers after this last season. Hard to believe Hali will just come back and turn it all around. But I’d love to see it.
We need EVERYONE to stay healthy. Not just Hali.
Nesmith, Nembard, Zubac, Obi.
Pacers fan checking in. They are going to be good. They had loads of injuries early then kept guys out for basically 2/3rds of the season. With Haliburton back, especially with the extra time to rehab and get right, this team should be a legit ECF contender.
The entire team was injured and we came into the season down 2 starters as a baseline. There was a good stretch in November/December where we were starting Siakim, Huff, and 3 hardship contract guys, and our bench was EMPTY. We had something like 10 different guys play for us or sign hardship contracts, and by the time everyone was healthy we had the choice of fighting like hell for a play-in spot or tank for a generational pick
Everyone’s back, Hali’s looking good, and the whole team’s spent a year being trash and/or seeing everyone call them trash. They’ve got plenty means and motivation to get out there and kick ass
The lack of a bench is a killer. That just creates a fatigue you can’t get past come May/June.
Yeah we were out of the running by November lol
Mid BTA session too. Pacers would’ve taken that fasho
I won’t say for sure. I think it would have been a hell of a good game and came down to the wire.
In my head that was going to be Hali’s fifth game winner :‘)
Based on how both those teams dealt with positive and negative momentum, I’m really confident the pacers would have won. Against unflappable vets like the 25-26 Knicks? No. But against that OKC team, yes.
Tbh we did it against the Knicks in the prior series too
That team wasn’t unflappable like this championship team. They very much got flapped by Indiana.
But they played a very flappable team in Spurs who made so many boneheaded decisions too. Pacers vs Knicks full strength rematch would’ve been fun.
I don’t think it’s as simple as saying that the spurs were flappable when the Knicks had to claw back such huge deficits in the 4th.
Isn’t that what made the Spurs flappable though?
it was tied when he went down lol
He was on fire. lol
Yeah I think he’s saying even with Hali as a flamethrower OKC was still tied with them. Would’ve been closer for sure but nobody can say it wasn’t OKC’s game to lose
I think what you don’t understand here is when Haliburton scores like that, the Pacers are damn near unstoppable. I can’t remember the number but they are basically undefeated since he joined the Pacers, if he scores a trivial number of points, something like 23.
It’s not his natural instinct to shoot or score like that so when you see him doing it immediately out of the gate, you know from experience it’s going to be a certain type of game. It’s actually a common annoyance of Pacers fans; “Haliburton wasn’t aggressive enough scoring.” When he comes out like that, though, you know it’s going to be at the very least a great game to watch.
If Haliburton stayed healthy, I think the Pacers would have really dominated the 1st half with OKC staying close. OKC would have blitzed the Pacers in the 3rd to tie or take the lead. And it would have been a hell of a finish to a potentially classic series. We as basketball fans were robbed of greatness on that day, no matter who came out on top.
Haliburton was 75% from 3 and they were still tied. You’re expecting him to stay that productive at that 75% efficiency just for a tie game for the rest of the game?
“BTA”. “Pacers would’ve taken that fasho” just lol
Stop it. It’s not going to change my mind. Let’s stop this discussion lol
Dense
I watched it happen at a bar in an international airport. The entire area was glued to the television and gutted when he got injured. Everyone was rooting for the Pacers to have it all.
Shout out Kenny Beecham
I honestly wish some of these great youtubers and podcasters could replace all the dumbass talking heads.
We need more fans of the game analysing and talking about it, not haters and ragebaiters.
It’ll be real when we replace Stephen A with FunkyDiabetic
Mannnn haven’t watched that dude in forever. He doing okay? I also haven’t seen KrispyFlakes in a while
Yeah that guy has some of the most reasonable takes and some great analysis as well.
He left for a bit to focus on a 9-5 iirc but came back recently
Im from Europe so watching games used to be hard for a good bit of time so the only way I saw them was by watching the highlights nba posted and then listening to FunkyDiabetic along with like 3 different youtubers to try to get the feel for how the game went
I was pumped to see him getting a collab with the official NBA YouTube channel. Hopefully he gets even more mainstream recognition going forward
Let’s see it jokicjoestar for skip balis
Even though the other three on that pod are kinda dumbass talking heads lol
Pierre knows his stuff
He does but he’s also an ass sometimes
He plays it up though. Sometimes when he’s being a dick you see it in his interactions with Christian. I agree he could be more likeable, but I genuinely think it’s a choice.
I watch the deep 3 sometimes and they dont hide the fact that they have to retarke some segments in order to make it more appealing/intriguing
Sadly in the world of algorythms minmaxing your engagement is the only way to succeed sometimes.
Nah P knows his stuff for sure, and arguably has a better grip on ball itself than Kenny who can get a little wrapped up in the advanced statistics. Mike has improved a lot and still has questionable moments but overall has clearly taken it way more seriously the past couple years. However, Dmills definitely is the weak link with knowledge lol. But that’s his role, he’s comedic relief
As a Raptors fan who would have loved to change history to make Kawhi stay in 2019 so we could repeat… I still think that if I could change a single moment in NBA history, it’d be for Tyrese to stay healthy through that whole game.
Not even for the Pacers to win. I just want to see how that game would have played out if Tyrese stayed in. I think it would have been an all-time Game 7. He was on a tear before he… Well… Tore.
I find it difficult to recall a team whose success revolved so strongly around a single player that’s not a LeBron “I’m gonna overpower everyone” type. Their offense literally didn’t work without him. It was a shot in the gut seeing that happen.
Steve Nash’s suns
Steve Nash.
I was 100x more scared of Pascal than Tyrese, respectfully. Tyrese’s game winner really outshined how clunky their offense was when he was the focal point. I nearly shit myself everytime Siakam got the ball because no one on our team could contain him. None of our guys could stay in front of him and he basically never missed an open shot.
To me the real reason we beat the Pacers is because Carlisle sat Siakam WAY too much.
Siakam is like a release valve to the Pacers Plan A offense. You always need one good ISO guy and/or play finisher, even in the best motion offenses.
If Tyrese and Plan A didn’t work for a few moments throughout the game - Siakam was there to reset the pace and give others time to breathe with their fast paced offense.
Pascal is great but he’s not the one who stirs the drink. Haliburton stats in game 6 were absolutely pedestrian relative to what he can do and yet he was the focal point in running OKC off the court playing just 22 minutes. Pacers lost that series because they let the calls get to them in game 4 and because Haliburton’s game 5 injury and ultimately game 7 injury.
Shai on OKC tbh, OKC doesn’t even have a chance against the Pacers without Shai
Pacers had the lead into halftime and halfway into the third.
Come on bro. We don’t have to go to battle every time this moment gets brought up. Dude you replied to isn’t even saying ‘pacers would have won’ he’s just saying Ty was a critical piece of their offense. Which he was, even if the person you replied to is being hyperbolic.
We got a banner and a parade. There’s no reason to be defensive. Let people talk
And would have been more and could have kept it if their main guy was there. You lot get so defensive over this shit every time it comes up.
2002 WCF. Game 6 and 7.
I’ll stand back
Also, would’ve. Could’ve. Should’ve.
Don’t know why you’d even bring that up to me. I joined the Lakers fandom because of Luka, couldn’t give two shits about 2002 since I was 8 years old and not interested in basketball.
But you’re just proving my point further. You’re getting way too defensive about a what if lmao just because you know everyone other than you thunder fans we’re cheering for Indiana and Hali and believe they we’re gonna win that shit until he broke.
“Because of Luka”
That’s all I needed to hear, front runner. Reddit and C aren’t the majority of fans that hate the Thunder. It’s all a silly little hivemind.
Argue with a wall. Muting you
What a fuc king snowflake my god
That’s not what a front runner is.
He’s been wanting to use the expression all day and couldn’t find an appropriate comment to respond to so he did it with mine. But you know, OKC and education and all.
Yeah people seem to act like Indy was just all bums after Rese. That was a very well oiled machine
One too many Lu Dort moon balls were impossible to overcome
That first one was a gift from the heavens
That’s the way it goes sometimes 😂
The outcome remains the same because if one player is scoring all the points like TJ did it makes everybody else cold. Similar to game 5 vs Denver
hali is a true point tho. he opens up the game for everyone else
You never said he wasn’t but he is not the engine that drives the car. The rest of the game prove it.
guy who led entire playoffs in assists is not “the engine that drives the car” lmao
The Pacers didn’t roll over game 7. They rolled over games he was shit in in the finals
yeah it’s game 7 lmao. it was clear they lacked the firepower and playmaking when OKC went on a run in the third though. McConnell’s shooting line looked nice but he had 7 TOs. they lacked the ability to create consistent offense once Haliburton was hurt. it was the only game all finals they didn’t cross 100
even more evidence that the pacers would have won if tyrese didnt get injured
Maybe you can make that a possibility in NBA 2k! Live off hypotheticals like it’s a unmitigated fact lol
I agree with ya, that’s was such a good series and him getting hurt robbed us of something special I really believe that.
We did get to see TJ go supernova for a quarter and takeover a finals game tho, so thats something i guess.
Most tragic injury I’ve seen in a long time tbh, game 7 is rough af.
Not just the fact that it was game 7, dude came out on an absolute heater. With him healthy, playing the way he was, they win it.
Maybe they win it, maybe they don’t. Impossible to know. People get hot in quarters and gas out, happens all the time.
All I can say is Hali had the most impressive and entertaining post season run in recent memory especially in the context of an underdog. The fans were robbed of a generational game 7 and that fucking sucks. It sucks for Ty, it sucks for the Pacers, it sucked for Indiana, and it sucks for basketball as a whole.
I think this, too. I think we were in for a game 7 that would surpass 2016. Both teams showed throughout the postseason and that series that they were never truly out of any game and both had insane depth, but his achilles injury just killed the game we were about to get.
I’m a huge Hali fan but comparing this to 2016 is crazy. 3-1 comeback, the Warriors 73-9 record, the Cleveland curse broken, the 40⁄40 game with LBJ and KI. I could go on- 2016 especially GM7 was absolutely peak.
I’m saying the game itself could’ve been better. Did the Cavs win 3 games simultaneously in game 7 or something? When we think about game 7s and think of that one Spurs-Clippers game 7, do people need it to have crazy storylines or do they just enjoy the fact that it was an insane game 7? Not everything needs context for you to appreciate it as its own game. Also, the series itself was a team the general population chalked up as another easy opponent for a Thunder team that was seen as the best team since the KD Warriors and most people didn’t think the Pacers could even get 2 games.
It’s also worth noting that the pacers literally never lost that season when Hali scored 10+ in the first quarter. Combined with their run, I’m pretty confident they had it
only performance as memorable/clutch in recent times was giannis with his carry job while carrying a hyper extended knee, and somehow conquered his FT weakness in real time
They probably win it yeah, and save us from the OKC circlejerk. Like I said, tragic.
That’s why I was always confused with the OKC dynasty talk. They barely even won the first ring
You mean the anti OKC circlejerk?
It’s a thread about a tragic injury your team benefitted from. I’d much rather have watched the Pacers win that game even if people dismiss the team because at the end of the day they would be the champions.
Learn to win with grace friend. At least you’ve seen your team win one. This thread might not be for you, it’s not about you or your team, stop making it about your team.
There’s no way you can be certain about that it halfway through the first quarter.
They probably don’t but it would have been a fantastic watch either way.
Most tragic injury in nba history. I’m biased as fuck but I’ll fight anyone that says different. After the run he had, tearing his Achilles minutes into a white hot start is just actual Greek tragedy stuff
Tyrese is one of my favorite personalities in the league, its rare to see a player so open and honest about a moment thats super devastating to them and not the best to look back on when recovering, i hope to see him in all star form this season because I want my lick back from 2025
He embarrassed the hell out of both my team and yours during that finals run, and yet I’d still go to war for the guy.
Hali rules.
I’m still tearing up thinking about how it ended. You see ALL of it in his body language, the full realization of it.
That was a heartbreaking moment for such a magical run. I thought that game was going to be a classic the way it started out. I agree they were clicking and the timing was just terrible.
I’m really interested to see his two man game with Zubac and also Pascal’s off ball, I think they can still be a very fun team to watch and hopefully this season they can stay healthy.
That playoff run was crazy, I really thought they’d go all the way
One of my favorite playoff runs I’ve ever seen in any sport.
It might take a bit of time but Haliburton has never played with someone like Zubac and if he force feeds Zubac like he has Turner in the past, Zubac will put up some insane numbers on any given Tuesday. There were games Haliburton would drive middle, kick center to Turner who misses. Pacers rebound, Haliburton drives middle, kicks center to Turner misses. Repeat. Zubac will not miss wide open shots exactly where he wants the ball like Turner who was most comfortable dead center at the 3pt line.
Zubac will get the ball in equivalent situation driving the lane, in the post for a hook, or down low with his man sealed because that’s where he’s at his best, wants the ball, and Haliburton loves to deliver the perfect pass. It’s just a different animal and I personally can’t wait to watch it. That combo will end up bullying teams with small front courts.
Insane how Shai didn’t get called for the kick.
I know you’re joking but Haliburtons Achilles tendon did snap towards Shai. Should have been offensive and going the other way.
How are you getting downvoted for such a funny post 🤣🤣 fuck SGA and the Thunder!!!
cornball
First my daughter, and now you. Fuck…maybe it’s true, I am corny 😕
i aint gone lie. i believe he would have snuffed the thunder that game. that would have been a top 5 finals run if they won.
I’m not saying this as a homer, but they would have made a movie about it. It would have been one of the greatest runs in sports history if they’d won it.
It wasn’t an easy path. They had to go through arguably all the hardest teams to get there and did it with game winner after game winner.
I read an interview with a guy in Hollywood that said if someone wrote a script for the magical run the Pacers went on to get to game 7 and win it, the script would be turned down because it’s too unrealistic.
Honestly they should still make a movie one day esp if he ends up winning in the future. The loss/setback after that run is perfectly set up for story telling
If he manages to win one it’d be a legendary documentary. That had to be the most insane clutch run of all time by a player and team.
Also wasn’t Hali very questionable going into the game? As in “if this was literally any other game but an NBA Finals elimination game, he would have sat”
Why are we being drip fed clips from this podcast throughout the week?
It’s the off season there’s nothing interesting. Why are you so worried about it? Are these drip fed clips not more entertaining to you than a thousand trade posts that never materialize?
I don’t think I’ve ever been as gutted for a pro athlete that wasn’t on my team. Just brutal in the biggest moment.
The intense hatred I have for the pacers couldn’t hold up when I saw that happen. I truly wanted them to win game 7 anyways, just so that wouldn’t go down as a “what if” forever.
I feel like Pacers were gonna win that game and the East landscape would have changed a lot.
We almost had an all timer game 7!
The way his voice switches always throws me off
good kid
That description of a kick is similar to what a significant calf strain feels like as well. I got one playing in a league that the court was next to an indoor tennis court. I thought a tennis ball hit me in the back of the leg. Then, pain.
I will never get over it either.
GOAT Playoff run.
Thats a Pacers finals win if hadnt gotten hurt imo
Speaking in injuries anyone know what’s going on with Furphy? I think i spelled it right.
As basketball fan thanks.
Trust me we all think about it from time to time atleast for me it was almost clear he was about to have a legendary game and possibly one of the greatest games ever all things considered, game 7 of the NBA finals it doesnt get any bigger honestly.
I was on the edge of my seat like a kid just ready to watch greatness unfortunately it just didnt happen but IND definitely deserved to win atleast imo
A run for the books. I don’t I think I rooted for a team I wasn’t specifically a fan of more.
I really hope he’s fortunate enough to reach the finals again
think ill be rooting for pacers this yr for tyrese, hes owed a lick back
He’s such a likable guy. Really enjoy his commentary and approach. It’s an absolute shame he has to play for the corn cobs.
Respect. It’s how I feel about literally your entire team.
That’s f’n rough. All the best to him.
When the pacers made the finals I realized they were the team of destiny last year. Every memorable moment happened for the pacers. I stop think they would’ve won if Hali never went down. Him pounding the floor is still so vicarial.
Better get used to it cause he’ll be telling it the rest of his life
Such a sad moment. Fully believe Pacers beat OKC if that doesn’t happen. It was Halis year until it wasn’t
they would have totally won. SGA would have choked
Known big game choker Shai.
Me neither Hali
I need this kid to succeed. He is so human, so good, so humble…feels like the evolution of another gem of a person that is Dame.
Watching the wheels fall off hurt to watch
Blessings to Tyrese. Must have been incredibly hard to overcome. Back and forth with Pacers fans has come to a full stop for me. Hope he’s at full health, a good Pacers team makes the league more fun.
That truly has gotta be the worst times injury ever.
This, and Greenlaw’s injury in the Super Bowl against Kansas City come to mind.
I’m not even a pacers fan and I’ll never get over it. They were on an all-time run through the playoffs.
I still think they could have won that game and had he at least not torn it we could’ve got pacers v spurs this year. I hope for the best for pacers and hope they win the title (but not at our expense plz haha )
He was cooking
wait how did he tear it in the finals
who is to say who would have won that game too, but I suspect we could be seeing him as a champ and OKC as an all bark no bite type of team
Such a brutal moment, as a long time TJ McConnell fan I was pulling for those guys all playoffs. And I really think they’d have done it with Halliburton. They damn near did it without him.
I cannot wait for this guy to terrorize my east
Literally got the same thing that KD got. Thats brutal
“We knew internally”
This is why it was so sus that the Pelicans traded the Pacers their pick back post calf strain and pre Achilles tear.
Another one of those moments that confirm we are in the bad timeline. Thinking of ringless Shai is far too sweet
His voice changes a few times at the end of this clip lol
And this is my pet peeve about people acting like Shai is god gifts to NBA.
He was one Achilles tear away from being labelled the biggest choker in NBA despite having literally the perfect team around him.
My dude Shai is one of the most hated players in the league
Yeah idk who these “people” are because it seems like the general consensus is that SGA did more harm than good for the game of basketball.
I think youre confusing what you see on this sub with the general publics opinion
There’s no confusion here. You’re a Thunder fan. If anything, your perception is more skewed than mine. The community didn’t embrace Harden in the same way they embraced players like Kobe or Curry. There’s no denying SGA is a great player, but his game isn’t aesthetically appealing to the public. I can’t blame him for exploiting the flaws in officiating. That’s something for the league to fix and enforce.
Yes which is why he has 2 MVPs huh?
The media absolutely hates him too I guess
I mean you can hate him, but he definitely deserved those mvps, mf broke wilt records
And he was a JDub and Mitchell injury away from going back to the finals this year, what’s your point?
Jesus Christ the hyperbole is nauseating here.
If you know Haliburton’s game, he was about to inexplicably stop shooting for the next quarter or two anyway.
He has a very good team, not perfect. Perfect is what Tatum had around him in 2024. Furthermore most championships teams are pretty close to perfect. Lastly there’s no guarantee the Pacers win the game. Remember Hali was averaging 14ppg in that series, we don’t know what would’ve happened