He went down. Everyone in Gainbridge Fieldhouse basically went silent the second his foot gave out. You could hear a pin drop, honestly. Tyrese Haliburton, the guy who had just spent the better part of two months turning the NBA playoffs into his own personal playground, was being helped to the locker room in the first quarter of Game 7.
It was heartbreaking.
Before we look at the raw Tyrese Haliburton finals stats, you have to understand the context of the 2025 NBA Finals. This wasn't just another series. It was the Indiana Pacers' first trip to the big stage in twenty-five years. They were facing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder in a matchup that nobody—and I mean nobody—saw coming at the start of the year.
Haliburton was the engine. He was the reason they were there. But by the time the Finals actually rolled around, he was basically duct-taped together. He had been dealing with a nagging right calf strain since the Eastern Conference Finals, and by Game 5 of the Finals, it was clearly getting worse.
The Raw Numbers: Tyrese Haliburton Finals Stats Explained
If you just look at a box score, you might think he had an up-and-down series. But box scores are kinda liars in the postseason. They don't show the gravity he had on the floor or the way he was dragging a leg through half the games.
Here is the breakdown of how he actually performed across those seven games against OKC:
Game 1: The Statement
Haliburton silenced the doubters immediately. He put up 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. It wasn't his highest-scoring night, but he hit a massive step-back jumper with just 0.3 seconds left to seal a 111-110 win. That game proved the Pacers belonged.
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The Middle Grind (Games 2-4)
As the series shifted, the Thunder started throwing everything at him. Lu Dort was basically living in his jersey. Haliburton's scoring dipped slightly, but his playmaking stayed elite. He averaged about 17 points and 9 assists during this stretch, keeping Indiana in every single game. The Pacers actually held a 2-1 lead at one point.
Game 5: The Turning Point
This is where the wheels started to wobble. Shams Charania later reported that Tyrese officially strained that right calf during Game 5. You could see it. He finished with only 4 points on 0-of-6 shooting. He still managed 7 rebounds and 6 assists, but the burst was gone.
Game 6: Pure Grit
With the season on the line, he willed himself to a double-double. He wasn't 100%, but he helped force a Game 7 back in Indy.
Game 7: The Tragedy
The stat line is a ghost. He played only a few minutes in the first quarter before his Achilles gave out. It was a non-contact injury—the kind that makes your stomach sink. He finished with 0 points in the final game of the season.
Why the Context of 2024 Matters
You can't talk about his 2025 Finals run without mentioning what happened a year prior. Back in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, Haliburton suffered a left hamstring injury. He missed Games 3 and 4 of that series.
People called him "injury prone." They said he couldn't handle the physical toll of a deep run.
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So, in 2025, he tried to prove them wrong. He played through the calf strain. He told reporters after the Finals that he would "do it again and again" just for a chance at a ring. Unfortunately, that "warrior" mentality might be what led to the Achilles rupture. Doctors like to debate if the calf strain caused him to compensate, putting too much stress on the tendon.
The Mental Toll of the 2025 Finals
Rehab is lonely. Tyrese has been pretty vocal about this on social media and in interviews with The Athletic. While his teammates were off on vacation or hitting the gym for summer runs, he was stuck in a boot.
"I think about it every time I blink," Haliburton told Taylor Rooks. "I don't know if I'll ever not think about it, but you gotta understand that you've got to move on."
He spent months doing nothing but calf raises and seated shooting drills. He's been leaning on guys like Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum—players who have dealt with similar major injuries. KD, specifically, reached out because he tore his Achilles in the 2019 Finals. It's a crappy club to be a member of, but the support seems to be keeping him sane.
What Most People Get Wrong About His Performance
A lot of "box score watchers" (Tyrese's words, not mine) looked at his shooting percentages in the Finals and claimed he shrunk under the pressure.
That's just wrong.
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The Thunder were the #1 defense for a reason. They dared anyone other than Haliburton to beat them. Even with a bad leg, Tyrese was drawing double teams at the logo. His assist-to-turnover ratio throughout the 2025 playoffs remained near the top of the league. He wasn't "shrinking"; he was being hunted, and his body eventually gave out before his spirit did.
What Happens Next for the Pacers?
Indiana is in a weird spot now. With Haliburton ruled out for the entire 2025-26 season, the keys have been handed to Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin.
The Pacers' front office, led by Kevin Pritchard, has been clear: they aren't going to rush him. He’s 25 years old. He just signed a massive five-year max extension. The goal is 2027 and beyond.
If you're a fan or a bettor looking at Indiana this year, here’s what you need to keep in mind:
- Patience is the only play. Achilles injuries for guards who rely on change-of-pace and "stop-and-start" twitchiness are tricky.
- The roster is deeper than you think. Nembhard proved in the 2024 ECF that he can lead a high-octane offense.
- Expect a "Down" Year. Without the league's assist leader, the Pacers' league-leading pace is going to slow down significantly.
The Tyrese Haliburton finals stats will always be a "what if" story. What if he doesn't get hurt in Game 5? What if the Achilles holds for just three more quarters in Game 7? We won't ever know. But for a small-market team like Indy, that 2025 run was legendary, even if it ended in a training room rather than a trophy presentation.
To stay updated on his recovery, keep an eye on the official Pacers injury reports and Tyrese's own "Starting 5" season on Netflix, which reportedly captured the exact moment of the injury and the raw aftermath in the locker room.