Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton vowed that he’ll be “ready to go” for Game 6 of the NBA Finals, even as he limped in and out of the podium after his team’s 120-109 loss in Oklahoma City. 

Several analysts have urged the point guard, dealing with a strained right calf, to prioritize his health over a potential chance to win the championship. 

ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins compared Hali’s situation to Kevin Durant’s debilitating Achilles tear in the 2019 NBA Finals. During that series, the ex-Warriors star returned in Game 5 after being sidelined with a calf strain for nearly a month. It was later assumed that Durant’s Achilles tear could have been avoided if he had allowed his calf strain to heal.

“If they’re saying it’s a calf strain, sit out,” Perkins advised Haliburton. “It’s the same advice I gave to Kevin Durant. I told Durant, ‘Forget what the franchise is telling you. Sit out.’ And what happened a few days later? He tore his Achilles. And that’s how severe [a calf strain] is.”

Perkins added that “health is more important” and that Hali would be doing a disservice to his teammates by playing at less than 100 percent.

Chiney Ogwumike felt that Hali had “nothing left to prove” after guiding the Pacers to the NBA Finals and should avoid aggravating an injury that could have long-term ramifications. 

“It’s not just the physical [toll] of the calf strain, but the mental, knowing that it could lead to something worse,” she said. 

Renowned sports medicine expert, Dr. Evan Jeffries, also advised Haliburton to avoid the same mistake as Durant.

“Whenever the calf is torn, or there’s weakness, there’s going to be more force on the Achilles tendon,” he said. “We’ve seen it in the Finals with Kevin Durant when he tried to come back too soon. This is a concern if you’re Tyrese Haliburton going into Game 6.”