Arena falls silent as NBA superstar Tyrese Haliburton goes down in championship finale
Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has gone down injured just minutes into the NBA championship finale on Sunday local time (Monday AEST).
The point guard has battled a calf injury through the back half of the Finals but was on fire early in Game 7, hitting three three-pointers in the first quarter — only for his series to come to a swift end when he went down without contact.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Arena falls silent as NBA superstar goes down in championship finale.
Haliburton, immediately in tears, punched the floor in frustration while his high-profile father was also emotional in the stands.
Oklahoma City Thunder's MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was among the players to check on Haliburton.
Haliburton was helped off the court with a towel draped over his head.
The Pacers quickly confirmed he was out for the remainder of the game without a formal diagnosis.
Haliburton's father later told ESPN it was an Achilles injury.
'It's heartbreaking,' teammate Myles Turner said after the first quarter.
'It's unfortunate in the biggest game of the year that it (his leg) didn't hold out for him. We've got his back and that's what it's all about, next-man-up menality.
'Keep him in your mind, keep him in your heart, go win it for him.'
Haliburton was responsible for game-winners in multiple comebacks on the Pacers' playoff run, including in the opening game of the Finals.
Indiana will lean on Pascal Siakam, who won the 2019 title with the Toronto Raptors, for the rest of the game while backup TJ McConnell will also take on a larger role.
Meanwhile, confirmed ruptured Achilles would make Haliburton the third star to suffer the injury in the playoffs.
Milwaukee Bucks veteran Damian Lillard went down in the first round while Boston Celtics champion Jayson Tatum suffered the blow in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
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