Expectations were high for Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. It was the first time the Finals had gone the distance since 2016, but any hopes of a classic were dashed when Tyrese Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury in the first quarter.
The Pacers battled hard without Haliburton but would end up losing 103-91. It was an anti-climactic end to the NBA season, but in some ways, it summed it up well. We have seen many big names go down with major injuries in 2024-25, so much so that Haliburton is the 12th player to suffer an Achilles or ACL injury.
– Tyrese Haliburton (Torn right Achilles tendon)
– Jayson Tatum (Torn right Achilles tendon)
– Dejounte Murray (Torn right Achilles tendon)
– Kyrie Irving (Torn left ACL)
– Damian Lillard (Torn left Achilles tendon)
– Isaiah Jackson (Torn right Achilles tendon)
– James Wiseman (Torn left Achilles tendon)
– Grant Williams (Torn ACL with meniscus damage)
– De’Anthony Melton (Torn left ACL)
– Dru Smith (Ruptured left Achilles tendon)
– Moritz Wagner (Torn left ACL)
– DaRon Holmes II (Torn right Achilles tendon)
Haliburton, Damian Lillard, and Jayson Tatum all tore their Achilles tendons in these playoffs. The postseason in the NBA tends to be ‘survival of the fittest,’ and that’s never been more apparent than this year.
All these injuries have once again led to calls for the NBA to shorten the regular season. While former players who prided themselves on playing all 82 games tend to scoff at that idea, the fact is that the game has changed.
Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban defended load management by pointing out that the game has gotten bigger, stronger, and faster, and is brutal on the players’ bodies. The game isn’t as physical as it was in some ways in the past, but it is still very taxing.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick has played in this era, and he feels the same way. Redick publicly supported shortening the season on First Take a few years ago.
“The only other point I wanted to make, real quick, is that the type of basketball that is played in the modern NBA and the amount of possession there are if you look back at the 90s,” Redick said. The Cleveland Cavaliers, back in 1986, averaged 84 possessions per game. The lowest in the game this year was, I believe, the Dallas Mavericks and that was around 93 possessions.
“For the vast majority of teams, you’re playing 100, 105 possessions a game, you’re running all over the court. It’s the spacing, too,” Redick stated The amount of action and load you’re putting on your body. The reality is the wear and tear on our bodies is very different than it was 20-30 years ago and that’s a fact.”
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is another who wants the NBA to shorten the season. Kerr told The Athletic that the season should be reduced to 65 games and revealed he had sent an email to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver about this topic as well.
Silver, however, has shown no interest in reducing the number of games. You wonder if he’ll change his mind if we get a lengthy injury list like this one next season, too.
