Tyrese Haliburton confirmed that he was dealing with a tension of the right calf, but added that he would do everything he could to play in the essential match on Thursday for the Indiana Pacers.
“I have to understand the risks, ask the right questions,” said Haliburton on Wednesday. “But I’m a competitor. I want to play. I’m going to do everything in my power to play.”
But the Pacers are preparing for the possibility that Haliburton is not available against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“He will spend the day tomorrow,” the Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told journalists. “Our preparation session is at the end of the afternoon tomorrow. They will meet and carry out tests. This will determine whether or not it is playing. If we do not play, we have a plan, obviously, if we are without him.”
Haliburton participated in the Pacers training on Wednesday, but that involved sitting for 25 minutes of film, a 30 -minute walk, then a light shoot while making feet flat all the time.
The team officially listed him as questionable for match 6 when he submitted his injury report later during the day.
Haliburton tries each treatment to which he may think – hyperbarical rooms, needles, massage, electronic stimulation, special tape – to help his tense right calf, a diagnosis that was confirmed by an MRI exam on Tuesday.
“I have a lot of confidence in our medical staff. I have a lot of confidence in our organization to make the right decision,” said Haliburton. “I think there have been many situations during my career where they trusted me on my body. … I want to be there. This is the plan.”
Carlisle also discussed the status of its star player earlier during the day in an interview with the Indianapolis 107.5 The Fan radio station.
“He will be carefully evaluated over the next 36 hours and will probably be listed as questionable in the injury report and will probably be a match decision for match 6,” said Carlisle.
Haliburton had been faced with an injury to the lower right leg throughout the series, and that worsened during the defeat of match 5 on Monday. He played with the injury for most of his 34 minutes, but failed to reach a basket while Indiana lost 120-109 to late 3-2 in the series, leaving the Pacers in a situation of victory or Else.
If Haliburton cannot play, it would seem likely that the Pacers promoted the TJ McConnell guard to a starting role. McConnell was brilliant throughout the playoffs and sparked a rally in which Indiana closed an 18 -point deficit in the second half of match 5 before Oklahoma City withdrew for good.
“There is another ball manager, someone who can bring us to our places, push the pace,” said Pascal Siakam, Pacers, Pascal Siakam about McConnell. “He played a big last game. He will be huge for us in the future too.”
Haliburton left match 5 at the end of the first quarter and returned to the bench area with an envelope on his lower leg. The Pacers, said Carlisle, discussed keep Haliburton for the second half. Haliburton opposed his veto to these plans and played 17 minutes in the second period, leading the pacers in rebounds and assists after the intermission.
But Haliburton was barely sought to shoot in the second period. He scored the first time in Haliburton’s career that he had recorded at least 34 minutes in a match and failed to establish a single basket.
After his post-match press conference after match 2, Haliburton was drinking with what was later revealed to be a right ankle injury. On Monday, he recognized that this injury was in the “same area”.
“We had soldiers in this team,” said Pacers Obi Toppin striker. “We will try to play any type of injury or anything. Ty is a soldier. He will most likely be good. We don’t know yet.”
Haliburton is on average 15.0 points, 7.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds out of 45% shooting in the first five games in the series.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
