Tyrese Haliburton thought his body had held up enough to get through Game 7 of the NBA Finals, then came the snap.
The Pacers star had been battling a calf strain throughout the series and passed a stress test before Game 6. After playing limited minutes in that win, he felt confident heading into the decisive Game 7.
“After Game 6, I’m like ‘It’s done, it’s gone, adrenaline is going to get to me, I’m going to be good,'” Haliburton said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I go to Game 7, I feel nothing. I feel great going into the game. I think that’s why I had a great start to the game. My body felt great. Then obviously, that happens in the end.”
The 25-year-old had already knocked down three three-pointers when he crumpled to the floor with just over five minutes left in the first quarter.
“I think I was just hurt that I wasn’t going to be out there,” Haliburton said. “All I was thinking about was being in the moment of Game 7 and that happening definitely sucked.”
Hali revealed he wanted to try and walk off the court, like other NBA players have done in the past when tragedy struck.
“I was on the ground, I was like, ‘Let me walk,'” Haliburton said. “‘Kobe walked. I’m walking.’ So when I got up and went to take a step, there was no chance. I was like, ‘Don’t touch me, I’m gonna walk.’ When I went to move my leg, it’s like dead weight at the end of your leg. So the fact that Kobe shot a free throw and walked off is unbelievable. It’s unbelievable. Certain guys have walked off, but when I went to take a step, that’s when the guys threw the towel over me because my face was just like (shocked). I couldn’t believe what was actually happening in the moment.”
He made his ultimate goal going forward clear.
“I’m going to fight like hell to get back and hopefully get this opportunity to win a championship again,” Haliburton said. “But that’s not guaranteed. That feeling definitely sits with me sometimes and that sucks, but I can’t really control the past. I can’t control what’s to happen in the future. All I can do is just attack this rehab as best as I can and figure it out that way.”