'Dead Spot': Oklahoma City Thunder Court Conspiracy Surfaces After Tyrese Haliburton Injury 1 Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) reacts after suffering an injury during the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

‘Dead Spot’: Oklahoma City Thunder Court Conspiracy Surfaces After Tyrese Haliburton Injury

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Sigler | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 11:07 PM ET

Questions are being raised about the reliability of the playing surface at Paycom Center, the court hosting the Game 7 matchup between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night. Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton scored nine points in the first quarter before exiting with an injury.

Per a statement by the Pacers, Haliburton was ruled out for the remainder of Game 7 due to a lower right leg injury. The Indiana star player entered the contest already injured, as he suffered a calf issue during the Thunder’s 120-109 win over the Pacers on Monday.

Haliburton played through the injury on Thursday, helping Indiana to win Game 6 and force a Game 7.

Tyrese Haliburton suffered an injury in a familiar place

ESPN TV announcer Mike Breen noticed Haliburton slipped on the same part of the court on Sunday that he did when he sustained his initial ankle injury on Monday.

Per video of the incident on Monday:

Tyrese Haliburton re-injured his calf on this play right here

It was during the first initial step before falling

The biggest question is Does he have a “calf strain” or is it just tightness pic.twitter.com/GDATqI2bso

— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) June 17, 2025

Was there a dead spot on the court?

'Dead Spot': Oklahoma City Thunder Court Conspiracy Surfaces After Tyrese Haliburton Injury 2 Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) celebrates his game-winning three-point basket in the fourth quarter during game two of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images

Here’s a video of the play that knocked Haliburton out of the finals:

Tyrese Haliburton went down with an injury in Game 7. pic.twitter.com/AZ1uk65dFg

— ESPN (@espn) June 23, 2025

Some fans on social media don’t think it’s a coincidence that Haliburton suffered an injury on the same part of the court. Posters questioned if the playing surface had a dead spot that wasn’t addressed before Game 7.

“On a similar spot of the court where Haliburton suffered his calf injury I wonder if it is a dead spot on the hardwood,” wrote a fan.

“okc court is clearly a dead spot,” posted another.

'Dead Spot': Oklahoma City Thunder Court Conspiracy Surfaces After Tyrese Haliburton Injury 3 Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) during the fourth quarter in game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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