NBA Playoffs – playoffs – working day 35
After 10 years without playing in a Conference final, the Indiana Pacers jumped to the TD Garden confused. The Celtics made five of their first seven shots, while the visitors missed their initial six attempts. The 12-0 run in favor of the Boston team with which the game began seemed to point to a coup of authority for the locals and a comfortable victory. Nothing is further from reality. The Pacers overcame the initial blow, gritted their teeth and had victory in their hands. But their nerves also betrayed them in the end and they ended up giving Boston the first game of the NBA Eastern Conference final, which is played in the best of seven and ended up being decided in overtime (133-128).
The two best attacks in the NBA faced each other. The Celtics were the favorites. They arrived more rested, after eliminating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1, while the Pacers had played the seventh and decisive game of their semifinal against the Knicks on Sunday. Perhaps that greater competitive pulse favored them in some phases of the game. But when push came to shove, they were afraid to win.
When the Pacers threw the game it was before overtime. Their situation was already very favorable with 27 seconds remaining with 114-117 in favor and possession. But they lost the ball in an absurd way. The Celtics failed and the Pacers still led by three with 10 seconds left with serve in their favor. They had almost won it there. However, they made a senseless mistake again. They were unable to put the ball into play from the wing. Jaylen Brown cut off the pass and when the ball went out, they touched it, giving the Celtics a new opportunity, a new life. They then defended poorly, missed a foul chance to force two free throws, and Jaylen Brown hit a do-or-die 3-pointer from the corner that tied the score at 117 with 5.7 seconds left. The Pacers didn’t see the light on that last attempt either and the game went to overtime.
“We made mistakes,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle summarized at the press conference. He himself took it upon himself not to call a timeout when there were only those 10 seconds left and they had possession to advance to the opposite field and calm down.
After those errors, the extension was a war of nerves, but the Celtics made better decisions, Jayson Tatum did his best in overtime with 10 points and when Boston found themselves in the opposite situation to Indiana (three points in favor with 12 seconds left) did not waste their advantage. Tatum closed the game with 36 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Jrue Holiday added 28 points (season high), 8 rebounds and 8 assists. When Holiday scores more than 14 points, the Celtics almost never lose. Jaylen Brown scored the decisive three-pointer to force overtime and finished with 26 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
Indiana’s scoring was more distributed. Tyrese Haliburton had 25 points, 3 rebounds and 10 assists. Myles Turner added 23 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, and Pascal Siakam finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. The substitutes T. J McConnell (13 points) and Obi Toppin (15 points) were revulsive in the moments when the Indiana team was rowing against the current.
On paper, the Celtics have a better team. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday are established All-Stars and Derrick White is very solid, but they miss their starting center, Kristaps Porziņģis. Indiana’s big men, Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam, didn’t find enough opposition from Horford. Indiana added 56 points from the area. Without the Latvian center, the Celtics may continue to suffer. This Tuesday it was the Pacers’ mistakes (or nerves) at the beginning and end of the game that gave them the victory.
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