Salute to the Walkers! The most tragic curtain call and the worst ending

Halliburton stood in the locker room passage and hugged and greeted his teammates.

This is the last back left by the Pacers in the 2025 finals. It is sad and tragic, and it makes people feel heartbreaking.

is only one last step away from becoming the biggest dark horse in NBA history. But at this most critical moment, Halliburton, who made three consecutive three-pointers at the beginning, fell down and was likely to have suffered a major injury that changed his career.

"I felt it was my fault, I passed the ball to him, and he fell down... I was thinking about it all the time." Toppin looked particularly guilty after the game. He did not score any sports game on this night, and perhaps, as he said, was disturbed by Halliburton's injury.

After Harry fell, although the Pacers had maintained their lead against the Thunder with Nembhard's three-pointer before the end of the first half. However, as the game entered the second half, the disadvantages of the lack of Halliburton were still reflected. The Pacers made a total of 21 mistakes in the whole game, and the opponent scored 32 points by the mistake. And throughout the playoffs, when Halliburton was on the court, they made only 13.3 turnovers per 48 minutes.

If Halliburton can finish this game, perhaps the Thunder will still be the one with a better chance of winning the championship. However, for the Pacers, Harry's injury retreat directly means the end of the game. If Halliburton could play the full game, at least they would have a chance to win.

But this is the cruelest thing about competitive sports. You will never know which one will come first, accident or tomorrow. As for this season, the Pacers have already played a shocking performance. From performing poorly at the beginning of the season, to adjusting one's form in the middle and late stages, to completing the sublimation of the playoffs, the Pacers' performance has exceeded everyone's expectations.

Before confronting the Cavaliers, no one was optimistic that they could advance. Before the Knicks, there were still a few who were optimistic about the Pacers. In the finals, the public opinion was even more optimistic about the Western Conference champion. It was in this case that the Pacers successively eliminated the Cavaliers and the Knicks. In the confrontation with the Thunder, they are not without opportunities. In other words, even if the Pacers failed to win the championship, with this year's experience, coupled with the situation in the East in the next few years, they actually have a good chance of reaching the finals again and even winning the championship. Unfortunately, Halliburton's injury changed everything.

Although Carlisle emphasized after the game that he believed Halliburton would definitely return with full blood. The reality often has some deviations from people’s expectations. If Halliburton really suffered from Achilles tendon injury as the outside world said, the uncertainty of the Pacers' future will undoubtedly increase a lot.

You think your fingertips have touched the crown, but the cold chasm is spreading across it, light years away.

This is the most charming and cruel place in competitive sports.

(Text/Kong Yang)