After Tyrese Haliburton sustained an Achilles injury and was unable to help the Indiana Pacers win Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, perhaps he accomplished something of great significance in the process.
Haliburton and the Pacers’ trip to the Finals this postseason was one of the most stunning outcomes that fans have seen in recent times. Although the Pacers finished the regular season with a 50-32 record in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, they were heavily underestimated in almost every single matchup they had in the playoffs.
While his injury might just have cost the Pacers their best chance to win an NBA championship in recent times, senior NBA Insider Brian Windhorst pointed out that Haliburton gained something almost as valuable as a title.
Tyrese Haliburton Finally Gained Respect From NBA Stars and Fans Alike
Although Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder emerged victorious and are currently the defending NBA champions, Haliburton’s decision to play through a calf injury in Game 6 and suit up for Game 7, only to leave the court with an Achilles injury, speaks to his determination and character.
During a recent episode of First Take, Windhorst emphasized that point and shared high praise for the Pacers’ franchise cornerstone.
“What I would say is this. Tyrese, I know that you did not win this game, and I know that you are facing a long recovery. But you did win something. You won over millions of new fans. Because if you didn’t know Tyrese Haliburton and the type of player he is and the type of clutch player he is…You know him now after seeing those shots.”
Despite the outcome, @WindhorstESPN believes Tyrese Haliburton earned “the respect of everybody in this league” by playing in Game 7 💪 pic.twitter.com/J3cWDAdqWy
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 24, 2025
Windhorst was not done and continued to compliment Haliburton for proving his critics wrong, “And the second thing is, you won over the respect of everybody in this league…They all respect what you did…”
The NBA Insider reminded everyone that Haliburton was voted as the most overrated player in the league heading into the postseason. However, he did not respond to his “haters” and let his game speak for itself. Moreover, Haliburton likely managed to make almost every single player who took part in that voting process change their opinion of him in a matter of months.
From ‘Overrated’ to Finals Hero
The anonymous player poll conducted by The Athletic in April saw Haliburton receive 14.4 percent of the vote for most overrated player, representing approximately 13 players out of the 90 who participated in that particular question. The voting came after Haliburton had led the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals the previous season and was averaging 9.2 assists per game during the 2024-25 regular season.
Haliburton’s playoff performance this year was nothing short of spectacular. He became the first player in NBA history to hit game-tying or game-winning shots in the final seconds in all four rounds of a single postseason. His 197 assists set a franchise record for a single postseason, while he averaged 17.7 points and a playoff-leading 9.0 assists per game entering Game 7.
In any case, it is truly sad that Haliburton was unable to get through Game 7. Considering that he had an excellent start and scored nine points in just seven minutes, Windhorst believed that he could have potentially recorded 40 points to help his team win an NBA championship. The Thunder ultimately won 103-91 to capture their first NBA title in franchise history under the Oklahoma City name.
Hopefully, Haliburton will have another chance to return to the Finals and get the job done over the next few years, once he recovers from the torn Achilles that will likely sideline him for most or all of the 2025-26 season.
