Kevin Durant and Tyrese Haliburton entered their respective NBA Finals elimination games with strained right calves. Each wound up leaving early with torn right Achilles tendons.

Achilles tendon injuries have become all-too-familiar headlines in professional sports, and this NBA season saw more than its usual share. During the NBA playoffs alone, Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard tore his left Achilles in the first round against the Indiana Pacers,