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Reggie Miller Sends Proud Message Amid Tyrese Haliburton's Injury in Game 7

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jeremy Beren | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 11:55 AM ET

For the first time in nine years, the NBA Finals needed a winner-take-all Game 7 to crown a champion. For the Thunder, there was elation at Paycom Center on Sunday, night as the long-suffering franchise won its first title since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008.

But for the Pacers, the 103-91 loss brought devastation beyond that which is expected after a closely-fought championship series concludes.

Seven minutes and five seconds in to Game 7, Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton went down with a non-contact right leg injury. Tyrese's father John Haliburton confirmed to ESPN that the star guard had suffered an Achilles tendon injury - which remains unconfirmed medically, but is poised to cost Haliburton the entire 2025-26 NBA season.

It is a shocking turn of events in Indiana amid the continuation of the Pacers' 52-year championship drought - and franchise legend Reggie Miller felt the pain particularly acutely.

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A post shared by Reggie Miller (@reggiemillertnt)

"I felt the gut punch to Pacer Nation, not only from the loss, but the loss of our fearless leader @tyresehaliburton," Miller wrote Monday morning on Instagram.

Still, Miller tried his best to contextualize the Haliburton injury within the overall narrative of the Pacers' playoff run. Indiana reached the Finals for the first time since 2000, when Miller and Jalen Rose were the team's leaders.

On their way to a conference championship, the fourth-seeded Pacers eliminated the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks even without home-court advantage - with Haliburton's heroics providing memories that will last a lifetime for fans.

"I’m very grateful of the @pacers TEAM for bringing so much pride, grit and togetherness back to Indiana basketball," Miller wrote. "Masterful job on the sideline Coach Rick Carlisle, and let’s not forget about all the men and women who work in the Front Offices who sacrifice a lot of their time to make things happen."

It remains to be seen how Carlisle and team president Kevin Pritchard chart the Pacers' course forward in light of Haliburton's probable long-term injury - a bitter pill to swallow amid the league's most unlikely Finals run in recent memory.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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