'Massage, needles, hyperbaric, H waves': What Tyrese Haliburton said about his injury

Indianapolis Star

7 hours ago

INDIANAPOLIS -- Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton acknowledged Wednesday that he is dealing with a right calf strain and coach Rick Carlisle still categorized his status for Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder as close to a game-time decision at media availability Wednesday.
The Pacers are down 3-2 and facing elimination in Thursday's 8:30 p.m. game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Pacers held a walk-through Wednesday morning and a shootaround open to media for about half an hour around noon. Haliburton participated in both and had no issues shooting the ball, but Carlisle acknowledged there was no real running involved.
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"We'll see where we are (Thursday)," Carlisle said. "It's a topic that people want to hear about and know about. There's going to be a lot of questions about it. We will not really know for sure until late tomorrow afternoon or early evening."
Haliburton has been getting treatment on his lower right leg since Game 2, but he acknowledged Wednesday that the injury he was dealing with in Game 2 was an ankle issue and he didn't have a calf problem until Game 5 when he tripped and fell trying to drive to the lane in the first quarter. He struggled through the rest of the game and finished with four points on 0 of 6 shooting, but after Game 5 he said he intended to play in Game 6 and that in the NBA Finals, he would want to play if he could walk.
However, on Wednesday, he also acknowledged he'd have to listen to the Pacers' medical staff to make sure he's not running the risk of turning a minor injury into a major one. Kevin Durant missed four games in the NBA Finals with a calf strain in 2019, returned for Game 5 and then suffered an Achilles tendon tear that kept him off the floor for the entire 2019-20 season.
"I think I have to be as smart as I want to be," Haliburton said. "Have to understand the risks, ask the right questions. I'm a competitor; I want to play. I'm going to do everything in my power to play. That's just what it is."
Haliburton said he expects the treatment to be near-constant over the next 30 hours.
"I think just around-the-clock stuff as much as I can," Haliburton said. "Massage, needles, hyperbaric, H waves. Everything you can do to get as comfortable as you can going into it. The right tape and stuff while I am performing I'm sure there's a bunch of medical professionals who could give you a better answer. Just doing everything I'm told. Trying to do everything I can."
Haliburton is, of course, used to the process of game-time decisions related to medical issues as he's dealt with an array of injuries over the last three seasons including a elbow sprain in 2022-23, a hamstring strain in 2023-24, a groin strain this season and back issues. He's had injuries he's played through and others that have led to him being shut down and has said in the past that the medical staff sometimes saves him from himself when he wants to push past an injury he shouldn't.
"I have a lot of trust in our medical staff," Haliburton said. "I have a lot of trust in our organization to make the right decision. I think there's been many situations through the course of my career where they've trusted me on my body. You're here more than anybody. You know I'm questionable from time to time throughout the course of season. They trust me to make the right decision on my body when the power is in my hands. I'm trying to try my best to do that. I mean, you understand that. I want to be out there. That's the plan."
Haliburton acknowledged, though, that the calculus is different in the NBA Finals. In the regular season, he'd probably sit out a week or two weeks to heal.