Inside The Heat

3-Time NBA Champion Feels Tyrese Haliburton Pulled Ultimate Trick In Game 6

Shandel Richardson|
Jun 19, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) dribbles the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second quarter during game six of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Jun 19, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) dribbles the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second quarter during game six of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

The biggest question entering Game 6 of the NBA Finals was the health of Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton. He was cleared to play earlier in the day despite a calf injury. Ex-Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem never doubted Haliburton would miss the game.

In fact, Haslem felt Haliburton may have used the injury to keep the Oklahoma City Thunder off guard in Thursday's blowout loss.

"I think the other team came and kind of let off the gas a little bit," Haslem said Friday morning on ESPN's Get Up. "They've been hearing the last couple of days, Haliburton's calf, is he going to play? ... That was a smokescreen. Everybody knew he was going to play. I think Oklahoma City fell for the old Statue of Liberty, banana in the tailpipe." 

Haliburton finished with 14 points and five assists to help force a Game 7. This was after he scored just four points in Game 5 when he sustained the injury.

"I think Tricky Ricky (Pacers coach Rick Carlisle) played a little possum with us," Haslem said. "I think he got us a little bit. If you've been in this league a long time, you understand how it is. We tend to over-exaggerate injuries sometimes in the playoffs. We don't let on to the other team how hurt we are."

Both the Pacers and Thunder are going for their first title Sunday in Game 7.

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here