Was Tyrese Haliburton built for this moment? For weeks, it looked like he was “the moment”. And then… he wasn’t. Game 7 of the NBA Finals should’ve been the coronation of Indy’s new king. Instead, it ended with heartbreak and Haliburton on the bench, ruled out early with a devastating right leg injury that now threatens to sideline him for 8 to 10 months. The dreams? Still vivid. But the moment? Gone. And in the aftermath, Pat McAfee poured his heart out for the hometown hero.

“We’re all bummed for Tyrese.. actually sick to our stomachs for him,” McAfee wrote on X. “He was playing thru a lot… and ultimately will have to sacrifice his entire life to get back healthy.” The Pacers were underdogs, overlooked, and called overrated. And yet, they made it to the biggest stage. “It was truly a HELL OF A RIDE,” McAfee added. For a city that rediscovered its joy, this loss cuts deep, but the fight? Forever remembered. Were the basketball gods really team OKC tonight with Haliburton’s injury?

Indiana’s 91–103 loss to Oklahoma City felt cruel. The Pacers, who had clawed their way from irrelevance to the brightest spotlight in basketball, were suddenly without their engine. The team that danced through the East with flair, pace, and pure guts suddenly looked… broken. Pascal Siakam tried. TJ McConnell battled. But Haliburton’s absence turned a championship dream into a grim uphill fight. Remember when Tyrese got the win in Game 1 with 0.3 on the clock?

The no-look dimes, the logo threes, the chest thumps? That version of him had the league buzzing, heck, he was “the moment,” crowned by memes, headlines, and monologues. But the magic faded. A calf strain in Game 5 derailed his rhythm. By Game 7, his body gave out entirely. From prime time to pine time… it’s the Finals in its most unforgiving form.

For OKC, though, this win is generational. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who paced the Thunder with 29 points and 12 assists, was surgical. The first player to win NBA MVP and Finals MVP in 12 years since Lebron James, he now headlines a core that includes Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and a war chest of future picks. And Coach Mark Daigneault? He just rewrote the book on rebuilding. From bottom-feeders to banners in less than four years, damn! But back to Indy.

Back to the silence that followed that final buzzer. Pat McAfee captured what most fans couldn’t say out loud: “sick to our stomachs for him.” It was love, respect, and analysis all tied in one heartfelt message, which basically screamed what every Indiana fan felt tonight. But man, this wasn’t supposed to be Tyrese Haliburton’s Finals obituary. Physically, Haliburton’s timeline could stretch into the first quarter of next season. Mentally?

That’s murkier. The scar of watching your championship hopes vanish, not because you weren’t good enough, but because your body failed you, cuts differently. “The moment” faded away, so to speak. It’s a pain McAfee alluded to when he wrote, “This city came together and was insanely joyful while rallying around this gritty team.” But that joy? It’s been swapped for sorrow.

Tyrese and the Finals curse

Let’s not forget the bond here. McAfee has been Haliburton’s unofficial hype man. From press clips to tweet storms, he’s made Hali the face of Indianapolis basketball. And that’s why the emotion in his viral X post hit so hard. It wasn’t just about basketball. It was about identity. About a city that thought, maybe for once, they were allowed to dream. And now that dream’s on pause. But even in defeat, Tyrese’s campaign wasn’t a failure.

He averaged 9 points in Game 7, hit some of the biggest shots of the postseason overall, and delivered a signature Game 1 that fans will remember for years. But this finish? This injury? It casts a long shadow. McAfee signed off with respect for OKC—“CONGRATS TO OKC on becoming NBA Champions. Your team and fanbase were first class. WELL EARNED.” But the subtext was clear that this wasn’t how it was supposed to end.

So what now for Indy? For Tyrese? For a team that went from long shots to Finals contenders in one magical sprint? Rehab. Resilience. Remembering. And maybe, just maybe, revenge. Because if Haliburton sacrificed everything to get here, you better believe he’ll fight even harder to come back. And Indy? They’ll be waiting. Dear god, we hope.