It’s all come down to this. One game. Two teams. But the hearts in one of the cities will take it all! The Indiana Pacers are all geared up against the Oklahoma City Thunder for the NBA Championship, and the stakes have never been higher than this ever before. However, we would not be witnessing the first Game 7 in the NBA Finals ever since that iconic Cavaliers and Warriors matchup back in 2016, if it wasn’t for Tyrese Haliburton and Co.’s heroics on Thursday night. The Pacers yet again came in clutch with their title hopes hanging by a thread. But has it come at a cost?

During Game 5 of the Finals, Tyrese Haliburton played most of the second half with pain in his right calf. This has been a lingering issue for the Pacers’ point guard that seemed to be re-aggravated during that loss. Despite knowing that, Haliburton decided to risk the chance of doing massive damage, with the hopes of making a comeback that never came.

“It’s the Finals,” Haliburton said when asked about why he played with discomfort. “I’ve worked my whole life to be here, and I want to be out there to compete, help my teammates any way I can.” Well, it seems that his spirit to overcome adversities paid off, as after failing to make an attempt in Game 5, the 25-year-old bounced back on Thursday. Haliburton scored 14 valuable points with five assists, but played less than 23 minutes. Although the Pacers’ superstar was able to contribute massively in Game 6’s blowout 108-91 win over the Thunder, the right calf still doesn’t seem good, as we scan the situation.

Tyrese Haliburton is questionable for Game 7 of the NBA Finals. This obviously comes as a result of him playing through the injury in the last two games. Although Haliburton is on the injury report, we can expect the Indiana Pacers star to play Game 7 of the NBA Finals. He’s done it up until now, so why not for one more game? A game that could make or break his legacy.

More importantly, Indiana will be hoping that Haliburton suits up, given he’s been the engine of this Pacers team. Haliburton is averaging 17.7 points, along with nine assists and 5.6 rebounds per game in the playoffs. That’s insanely impressive! Not to mention his clutch shot-making ability, which will, without a doubt, be required tonight if the game goes deep.

However, we’ll have to wait and watch what decision the Pacers management takes on their point guard. Meanwhile, apart from Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers also have a couple of other players on the list. The players in question are forwards Jarace Walker and Isaiah Jackson. Walker is recovering from an ankle injury, which means that he won’t be playing tonight. Meanwhile, Jackson suffered a devastating Achilles injury that wrapped up his season earlier than expected. Amid all these injuries, it will be interesting to see how veteran coach Rick Carlisle fields his starting five.

How can the Indiana Pacers’ starting five look for Game 7?

It has been a back-and-forth series between the Pacers and the OKC Thunder. However, now all previous data and calculations won’t be of much help as the two cities come down for an all-out showdown. The most important thing to look out for, Rick Carlisle, will be Tyrese Haliburton’s fitness. Once that’s done, the Pacers’ HC will most likely stick with his most-used starting five featuring the likes of Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, and others. We mean, why not? The lineup has worked so far, so there’s no reason to change that for Game 7.

Here’s how the Pacers could start:

Although the Thunder will be playing in their own backyard, there’s nothing the Pacers will be afraid of as they enter the Paycom Center tonight. Tyrese Haliburton and Co. have defied all odds to be here for this moment, even though Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder enter as the favorites. The Thunder have the crowd by their side, besides an MVP and a seed 1 track record, but it is only the Pacers who pushed it till the brink. So grab your popcorn, and see the better team lift, for the first time!