By MICHAEL MAROT
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The gasp inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse was followed quickly by a hush Sunday night.
Just seven minutes into Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers’ roaring fans went silent, struggling to fathom what they were watching — a replay of two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton hurting his lower right leg and the anguished look on the face of his father, John.
They didn’t wait to hear the diagnosis; they already figured they had it.
“I saw (his Achilles tendon) pop immediately, you could see it kind of explode,” said 37-year-old Nick Poore, a lifelong fan of his hometown team. “Tough. I mean it is what it is, life goes on. What else can you do besides take it on the chin, you know?”
Coach Rick Carlisle didn’t confirm it was a torn Achilles tendon either during his postgame comments though he noted the team’s hearts dropped just like so many inside their home arena.
Of course, Haliburton’s teammates tried valiantly to rally without their leader but struggled late in the third quarter and early in the fourth of a 103-91 loss at Oklahoma City, a loss that extended Indiana’s title drought to 49 years and left many wondering what’s next?
This one may have been the most gut-wrenching of all.
A strained right calf had limited Haliburton to 23 minutes Thursday night, but he scored 14 points and had five assists to help Indiana force Sunday’s decisive game. With two more days of rest, Haliburton said he felt better and he was early with three 3-pointers and nine points, his best start in the series.
“Tyrese was about to cook, he was going to go off,” Poore said. “That was tough because you could tell he was bringing it tonight.”
But one wrong step ended Haliburton’s night and dashed the hopes of so many Pacers fans who came to celebrate the title they’d longed for.
“Absolutely not what we wanted to see but you know what he’s going to want. He’s going to want this team to continue to fight,” Chris Denari, the Pacers’ television play-by-play announcer told the stunned crowd. “He is the leader of this team. We know what he’s meant since he arrived from Sacramento and he’s going to need all of our thoughts and prayers, but he’s going to want this team to fight and win an NBA title.”
The crowd responded to Denari’s plea, cheering raucously for each Pacers basket, defensive stop, Thunder foul or turnover. But the late runs eventually took their toll, quieting fans and sending some home for good after Oklahoma City built a 21-point lead.
Worse, it’s yet another potentially cruel chapter in the franchise’s long and painful history.
Since the three-time ABA champion team joined the NBA, it has endured every seemingly imaginable and unimaginable setback: the 1977 telethon that saved the team, the Malice in the Palace that cost Reggie Miller his last title shot, near-misses against LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals and Boston’s sweep in the conference finals last year with the injured Haliburton watching the last two games from the bench.
There’s also the injury history. Since Miller’s retirement, Danny Granger, Paul George and Victor Oladipo all appeared poised to be the Pacers next big thing — only to have their careers derailed by injuries. Now it’s Haliburton trying to break the jinx.
“Heartbreaking,” said Vernon Morgan, who has followed the Pacers since George McGinnis played for the ABA team in the early 1970s. “We’re still waiting to see if this (injury) will be a detriment to his career or if he’s going to recover from it. I realize he’ll be out probably all of next year, but we’ve been counted out before.”
How tough has this been on Pacers fans?
Anthony Brehob, age 27, came dressed in a Roy Hibbert jersey and had big expectations and like many who stood in the snaking lines on the city’s streets.
“I’m expecting a close game, and I’m really hoping Haliburton pulls it off at the end,” Brehob said. “If they lose, it’s going to be a long night.”
The problem now is it’s also going to be a long offseason with many questions surrounding Haliburton and what can be expected when he does return.
Carlisle said he expects Haliburton, who was on crutches Sunday night, to make a full recovery. And in a state that loves underdogs so much it’s produced both the real-life and Hollywood version of “Hoosiers,” the reality is the future still looks bright.
And that at least is some solace to these fans.
“It’s enough to celebrate,” Morgan said of Indiana’s playoff run. “We pushed them to Game 7 and it’s a young team. They’ll be back. We’ve been counted out before, nobody counted on us to make a good story. We’ll be back again next year.”
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