Pacers Lose Game One of Eastern Conference Finals, Celtics Take 1-0 Lead
Photo Credit: Michael Dawyer, Associated Press Photo
Though initially storming back from a 13-point deficit, the Indiana Pacers ultimately lost their first bout against the Boston Celtics on the road, as the Celtics(64-18) beat the Pacers(47-35) by a score of 133-128, according to ESPN. The Celtics winning the game was a result of multiple clutch shots by the Celtics’ stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Though the Celtics were winning for the majority of the game, the Indiana Pacers took the lead early in the fourth quarter after Pascal Siakam scored a two pointer, making the score 95-94, according to ESPN. This point marked a 13-point comeback for the Pacers, showing that the team has the energy and stamina to compete with the Celtcs though they eventually lost the game in the end.
Photo Credit: Michael Dawyer, Associated Press Photo
Jaylen Brown and Jayston Tatum are two players who must be accredited for the Celtics’ win. Jaylen Brown, when the Celtics were down by three points with eight seconds in the game, hit a three-pointer from deep in the left corner, all while Pascal Siakam was standing millimeters away from Brown. This shot, tying the score at 117, eventually carried the Celtics to the overtime period, where Jayson Tatum took over the Celtics’ offensive game.
Jayson Tatum scored ten of the Celtics 16 points in the overtime period, shooting 50% from the field(making 2 of his four field goal attempts), 50% from the three-point line(making one of his two attempts), and going five-for-five from the charity stripe, according to Pro Basketball Reference. These numbers were drastic improvements from his fourth-quarter performance, which would have been a talking point had the Celtics lost the game. In the fourth quarter, Tatum shot 28.6% from the field, making only two of his seven field goal attempts. Additionally, Tatum did not make any of his three three point attempts, therefore only scoring four points for the entire period, according to Pro Basketball Reference. Tatum stayed in the game for all five minutes of the overtime period, proving that his fourth quarter performance was more resembling a fluke.
Photo Credit: David Butler II, USA TODAY Sports
On the other side of the ball, the Pacers performed in a way that gives them offseason hope, seeing as each of the Pacers’ starters had performances that they can surely build off of for the remainder of the series. All of the Pacers’ starters were in double figures, with Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner all scoring above 20 points for the game(Haliburton with 25, Siakam with 24, and Turner with 23), according to Pro Basketball Reference.
Photo Credit: David Butler II, USA TODAY Sports
Additionally, the Pacers were provided another clutch performance from Nembhard in the fourth quarter, seeing as the young players scored all four of the Pacers’ points when the clock ran under two minutes. If the Pacers can make appropriate adjustments heading into game two of the series, Rick Carlisle’s squad has the potential to beat the Boston Celtics in the second game of the series, keeping in mind that Boston is 0-2 in game two’s this NBA Playoffs.
