“We were concerned at halftime. He insisted on playing,” said Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle about Tyrese Haliburton during the post-game presser. Amongst the worst things that can happen to a team when going through the NBA Finals is their star player getting injured. The Pacers’ point guard turned that fear into reality after he grabbed at his lower right leg after an awkward fall in the first quarter. He briefly left Game 5  for treatment, but while he did not look right, he returned to the court and continued playing. Why didn’t he sit out this one game? Well, the man himself revealed the answer soon enough.

NBA reporter Scott Agness was able to get an answer from Tyrese Haliburton when the player was asked why he chose to play through the pain. Haliburton reportedly replied that “I mean it’s the NBA Finals. It’s the finals — I’ve worked my whole life to be here. It was not really a thought of mine to not play here. If I can walk, then I want to play.” Nothing more to say, just Respect!

There is no denying that Haliburton’s performance in Game 5 of the NBA Finals wasn’t exactly vintage. And the stats back it up as well, as he only scored 4 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Haliburton went scoreless at halftime for the first time in 36 career playoff games. Despite that, knowing the condition he was in, his effort was commendable. Haliburton played through a whopping 34 minutes, reportedly playing the role of a facilitating decoy in the second half. Unfortunately, his not being able to score efficiently played a major role in OKC’s 120-109 win. Now, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and co hold a 3-2 lead over the Pacers, being just 1 more win away from securing the NBA championship. The need for the Indiana Pacers to do well has only increased. It is a do-or-die situation.

During halftime, ESPN insider Shams Charania reported that Tyrese Haliburton was dealing with right calf tightness ON THE SAME LEG in which, last week, he had ankle soreness. In light of this, the player shouldn’t be doing anything else but resting. However, through his recent remarks, Haliburton made it clear that he will continue pushing on in the NBA Finals. Even Rick Carlisle did not think otherwise, as he revealed in the post-game presser that “He’s not 100%. It’s pretty clear. But I don’t think he’s going to miss the next game”. Haliburton is not at his best, but as the Pacers’ HC added, “There’s a lot of guys in this series that aren’t.”

The injury would have certainly left many Indiana Pacers fans concerned. However, this still did not stop Stephen A. Smith from dropping a brutal comment about the Pacers star.

Stephen A. Smith admits to being “glad” that Tyrese Haliburton got injured: “He’s not helping them”

During the ESPN Halftime Show, Stephen A. Smith did not waste any time in highlighting what he felt was going wrong in the game. Once Shams Charania, who was sitting a few seats across from the sportscaster, revealed the injury to be a right calf tightness, Smith went ahead and said “[Tyrese] Haliburton has looked awful and I’m glad he’s injured”. However, he also made it clear that he wasn’t happy about someone’s misfortune by stating, “I’m not saying I’m glad he’s injured, but I’m glad we got that as a rational”.

Haliburton going scoreless in the first half was not something the Indiana Pacers needed when the win record is tied 2-2 in the NBA Finals! For Smith, Haliburton being injured meant that another player could come in and cover the point guard position.

“You want to be nice all the damn time,” Smith continued. “I’m not trying to be mean or whatever. Just being factual! He looks bad! He was not active. He was not aggressive. And now that we know he’s not healthy, I totally agree with Big Perk. Sit him down! Get him ready for Game 6 because he’s a minus-16 on the floor. He ain’t helping the team!”

Things between the sportscaster and the player haven’t been too good in recent days. During a previous segment of ‘First Take,’ Stephen A. Smith went viral for claiming that Haliburton doesn’t qualify as a superstar because of his inconsistency. Haliburton later took a shot at the NBA media’s viewpoints about him. He did so by stating, “The commentary is always going to be what it is. Most of the time the talking heads on the major platforms, I couldn’t care less, honestly. What do they really know about basketball?…”

Haliburton did not specifically name Smith. However, the sportscaster still responded by saying “Win the damn chip, bro. In the first two games of this NBA final series, you had your moment with 0.3 seconds left. Other than that, you didn’t play well. That ain’t on me. That’s on you, you know. And, oh, by the way, just in case he was talking about me, my brother, I’m not going away. I’m gonna be here for a while”.

Smith recently found something to attack the Pacers star with, and he took full advantage of it. Tyrese Haliburton can strike back by delivering well for his team in Game 6. However, it remains to be seen just how much prowess the player’s injury will allow him to display.