Tyrese Haliburton 'ready to go' and 'excited to add to the storied history of Game 7s'
OKLAHOMA CITY – There is less drama surrounding whether Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton will play in Game 7 of the NBA Finals at 8 p.m. Sunday at the Paycom Center than there was in Game 6, but he still is dealing with a calf strain and still does need around-the-clock treatment.
Haliburton suffered the calf strain in Game 5 when he tried to drive past Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren with 6:53 to go in the first quarter. He still played the rest of the game, but finished with just four points on 0-of-6 shooting. He had an MRI the next day that showed a calf strain, but underwent constant treatment and posted 14 points and five assists, helping the Pacers take a blowout victory 108-91 in Game 6. The Pacers had a 30-point lead going into the fourth quarter, so Haliburton didn't have to play any minutes and finished with with just 22 minutes and 52 seconds of action.
"I'm pretty much in the same standpoint I was before Game 6," Haliburton said Saturday at media availability. "A little stiff, a little sore, rather. Good thing I only had to play like 23 minutes. I've been able to get even more treatment and do more things. Just trying to take care of it the best I can. But I'll be ready to go for Game 7."
NBA Finals Game 7 predictions: Can Pacers pull off championship upset?
Haliburton talked at length Thursday night after Game 6 about the privilege of playing in an NBA Finals Game 7. It's the first time since 2016 that the Finals have gone to Game 7, which was the year LeBron James' Cavaliers came back from down 3-1 to beat the Warriors. Haliburton, a big LeBron James fan, remembers it vividly.
"I remember where I was," Haliburton said. "I remember what the game was, the energy of the game, being with my friends and watching it all together. There's a mixture of Cavs fans, a mixture of Warriors fans. I think that's probably one of the greatest games I've ever been able to watch as a basketball fan. That's what makes Game 7 so fun. I think that especially for people around my age, that is the peak Game 7. I'm excited to add to the storied history of Game 7s and add to the history of our game."
Haliburton said after Game 6 the reason he was so adamant about playing is that he didn't want to let his team down and felt like he'd regret not going to battle with them with the season on the line. His feelings haven't changed going into Game 7.
"We're a group of guys that get along really well and are trying to do something special," Haliburton said. "I think the expectations for this group from an external viewpoint coming into the year weren't very high. They weren't very high coming into the playoffs. They weren't very high going into the second round of the playoffs. They weren't very high going into the third round. They weren't very high now.
"I think we just have done a great job of just staying together. There's not a group of guys I'd rather go to war with. I'm really excited to compete with these guys in a Game 7, and it's going to be a lot of fun."
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