All that Indiana wished, Tyrese Haliburton delivered…sadly, only till the time he banged the court in pain. So when he went down early in that quarter, the whole world held its breath. We all watched the hopes of the greatest Cinderella story of all time slowly fade. The worst part? He needed help just to get off the court. That moment alone showed just how serious it was. When the team confirmed he wouldn’t return for the game, fans braced for the worst. And now, those fears have turned into reality.

“Breaking: Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton sustained a torn right Achilles tendon in Game 7 against Oklahoma City, sources tell ESPN. Haliburton played through a calf strain in the same leg during the NBA Finals for an opportunity to win a championship,” wrote ESPN’s Shams Charania on X. Turns out that the injury was too bad for him to even continue. And if you see visuals of his Achilles literally popping on camera, you’d get an idea of the severity of it all.

“What happened with Tyrese, just all of our hearts dropped,” Carlisle told reporters. “He will be back. I don’t have any medical information about what may or may not have happened, but he’ll be back in time. I believe he’ll make a full recovery. He authored one of the great individual playoff runs in the history of the NBA with dramatic play after dramatic play. It was just something that no one’s ever seen, and did it as one of 17. That’s the beautiful thing about him. As great of a player as he is, it’s always a team thing. Our hearts go out to him,” said Pacers HC Rick Carlisle after the game.

Don’t get it mistaken. There are already talks of the Pacers’ postseason being one of the best in American sports history. And everyone knows their chances with Tyrese Haliburton were through the roof. Even against this historic OKC Thunder team. Of course, the second time they reached the NBA Finals ended bittersweet. But the sweet thing is that the fans and rivals know it alike. And they made sure to let the players know how proud they are.

Tyrese Haliburton, James Johnson, and Obi Toppin meet Indiana fans at the airport

The players got back to Indiana with their heads held high. But it’s one thing to believe in it yourself. If your fans feel the same way, too, that’s a whole different level of appreciation. And it hit them like a brick wall when they were greeted with their “we’re proud of you” signs and Cers T-shirts at the airport.

“We gotta give a big shout out to guys like James Johnson and Obi Toppin. Despite the late night, despite the heartbreaking loss, the exhaustion, no doubt these guys stopped to talk to the fans, give the kids the high fives this morning. Both the players and the fans thanking each other for an incredible run this 2025 season. Like we mentioned, though, fans getting emotional explaining to us why this team and this year meant so much to them,” said the reporters of WTHR. Even Hali was seen in a wheelchair, waving at their fallen hero.

Indianapolis International Airport was the place to be last night. Even the players felt proud of their achievement to an extent. But the fans letting them know of their pride and emotions was the ultimatum. Every neutral was an Indiana Pacers fan postseason – this unfinished Cinderella season will never be forgotten. Watching Tyrese Haliburton go down prematurely was the heartbreaker. But they know he’ll be back stronger than ever.