Tyrese Haliburton posted four points on zero field goals in the Indiana Pacers' Game 5 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, managing only six attempts from the floor. He looked tentative and to be nowhere near 100% physically. ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins offered some real-time commentary about the developing situation during the halftime show and didn't hold back on the Pacers star.
"“Sit him down,” Perkins said. “Well, sit him down, because I don’t want to hear any excuses. If you’re on the floor, you need to produce. This is the NBA Finals. This is Game 5. And to be honest, before he went down with the calf injury, he looked scared. He looked scared to death."
The way Kendrick Perkins be talking, you would think he had a Hall of Fame career and he had 30 point games while playing through injuries. Now you questioning Halisburton heart because he’s hurt. pic.twitter.com/gnzbVCiPd5
— Jaguar Paw (@sirdibbydukes) June 17, 2025
That's pretty harsh. Look, it may have been in the Pacers' best interest to put TJ McConnell in for Haliburton in the second half. But doing that to the face of the franchise opens up a whole new can of worms. Despite limping heavily after Game 5, Haliburton has already expressed his intention to suit up for Game 6 in an attempt to stave off elimination.
It really wasn't that long ago that Haliburton was hitting yet another buzzer-beater in Game 1. It wasn't long ago that Haliburton almost assumed the ultimate prize of being called a superstar by media pundits. Now he's being accused of being scared. Tough league out there.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kendrick Perkins Accuses Tyrese Haliburton of Looking 'Scared to Death'.
