INDIANAPOLIS — It’s no secret where Tyrese Haliburton stands on Game 6 of the NBA Finals, with his team down 3-2.
“I’m a competitor; I want to play. I’m going to do everything in my power to play,” Haliburton said.
Whether the Pacers will allow him to play through a left calf strain — confirmed by an MRI, Haliburton said — and how well he plays will go a long way in determining if the Pacers will play in a Game 7 or watch the Thunder celebrate a championship on their court Thursday night.
Most likely, Haliburton plays. He was not limping and looked good putting up a few shots at the end of the Pacers’ practice Wednesday, but that was a low-key affair.
“He participated in all our walk-through stuff. But it’s a walk-through, so there was no real running,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’ll see. We’ll see where we are tomorrow. 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.”
“We’re preparing as if he is playing,” the Thunder’s Isaiah Hartenstein said of his team’s mindset.
As seen in the fourth quarter of Game 5, Haliburton has to do more than just physically be on the court, he has to be enough of a threat to warp the Thunder defense. Expect more Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell, each taking on some additional playmaking duties.
To be ready to play, Haliburton said he has been undergoing around-the-clock treatment.
“Massage, needles, hyperbaric, H waves. Everything you can do to get as comfortable as you can going into it,” Haliburton said, adding he is just following the instructions of the team’s medical staff. “The right tape and stuff while I am performing.”
If this were the regular season, a Grade 1 calf strain usually means 7-10 days of recovery (we don’t officially know the grade of strain). The concern is both the players’ ability to move on the court, and that the calf muscle is a key support of the Achilles tendon and some ligaments. Haliburton owned up to understanding the risks but wants to be out on the court in Game 6. Carlisle said that, if in consultation with the medical staff, they felt they needed to protect Haliburton from himself and not let him play, they would.
Haliburton recognized that if this were January, he’d have sat out some games.
“Probably. I mean, it would probably be the case. We’re not in the regular season, so…” Haliburton said. “It is what it is.”
It is the Pacers’ season on the line, and Haliburton plans to be on the court.
