NBA Playoffs – playoffs – working day 37
In the first game of the NBA Eastern Conference finals, the Indiana Pacers began losing 12-0 against the Boston Celtics. In the second, they started the game well, but suffered a new blackout at the end of the first quarter and for a good part of the second. In six minutes of play they conceded a 20-0 run from which they were never able to recover despite the spectacular game of Pascal Siakam, who has grown in size in the postseason. Despite not having their starting center, Kristaps Porziņģis, injured, the Celtics made a statement at TD Garden with Jaylen Brown at the helm. The best-of-seven tie now travels to Indianapolis, where the Pacers have been strong in previous matches.
The Celtics won clearly despite the fact that Jayson Tatum had his particular blackout, with only four points in the first half of the game, his lowest score of the entire season, from which he recovered in the second half, to finish with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. The other star of the team, Jaylen Brown, kept the pace throughout the game and finished as the leading scorer with 40 points, the highest of his career in a game of the playoffs. Jrue Holiday (15 points and 10 assists) and Derrick White (23) propped up Boston’s attack.
For the Pacers, both Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner underperformed. Pascal Siakam emerged. The 30-year-old Cameroonian power forward scored 28 points in a series of 13 baskets in 17 attempts, including two of two in triples, in 31 minutes of play. The Celtics couldn’t find a way to stop him, but he was very alone.
The Celtics not only had a better shooting percentage, but also, thanks to steals and rebounds, they shot more shots. Jrue Holiday has spread his defensive aggressiveness to the team. Indiana did not see the light on offense, especially in Siakam’s moments of rest.
The first quarter closed with a 25-27 in favor of Indiana, but the Celtics then escaped to 42-27 as the Pacers missed nine consecutive shots and had four turnovers during that six-minute blackout. When they met again, there were moments when they seemed to be in a position to play the game. They got within two points (68-66) with just under eight minutes left in the third quarter, but died on the edge. Jayson Tatum woke up, the Celtics gritted their teeth on defense and the third quarter closed with a 93-80 that seemed almost final.
Indiana’s team almost threw in the towel shortly into the third quarter. His coach, Rick Carlisle, began thinking about Game 3 and resting some of the starters, including Siakam and the injured Haliburton. The substitutes fought, but the Celtics did not let their guard down at any time. Tatum and Brown recreated themselves and left the score at 126-110.
The Pacers already lost the first three games of the Eastern Conference semifinal that they played away from home against the New York Knicks, but with their victories in Indiana they forced a seventh game in which they stormed Madison Square Garden to reach the final. With the Celtics, the road seems more uphill. The way they played the first game when they had practically won it makes the feat of beating the favorites difficult.
Four foreigners in the ideal NBA quintet
The NBA published this Thursday the ideal quintet of the season. For the second consecutive year (and for the second time in history) it is made up of four non-American players and only one from the country where the competition is played. In fact, if you take into account that last year one of those considered foreigners was Joel Embiid, who has American nationality, it is the first time that only one of the best is selectable by the United States.
The Serbian center of the Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokić, best player of the season, and the Canadian guard of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, have been unanimously chosen for the ideal quintet, since the 99 participants in the jury have voted. It is the fourth time that Jokić has been in the quintet and the second for Gilgeous-Alexander.
The ideal quintet is completed by the Slovenian from the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Dončić (enters the quintet for the fifth consecutive time); the Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo, of the Milwaukee Bucks (for the sixth consecutive time), and the American Jayson Tatum, of the Boston Celtics (third consecutive selection).
The second best quintet, on the other hand, is a full of Americans: Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis. The third is made up of the Americans LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Tyrese Haliburton and Devin Booker and the Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis.
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