The Indiana Pacers left Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals feeling like they let a significant opportunity slip away. Despite leading by three points with the ball in the final 10 seconds of the fourth quarter, they succumbed to a 133-128 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics. The Pacers committed a total of 21 turnovers, with two costly ones in the final 27 seconds of regulation. Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith admitted, “We gave it away. We should’ve won the game.”
In a critical moment with a 3-point lead and 27.1 seconds left in regulation, guard Tyrese Haliburton committed an unforced turnover by dribbling the ball off his foot. Although Indiana had a chance to seal the win at the free throw line with 10 seconds left, an errant inbound pass from Andrew Nembhard to Pascal Siakam resulted in a turnover. Jaylen Brown took advantage of this opportunity, hitting a 3-pointer to tie the game. Haliburton acknowledged, “They’re a great defensive team, but more turnovers were on us than them. We got to clean that up.”
The Pacers also missed a chance to foul before Brown’s game-tying 3-pointer. Siakam intended to foul, but Brown caught the ball with his shoulders squared to the basket, making it difficult to foul without risking a potential four-point play. The loss marked the first time a team had lost a playoff game since 1997-98 despite being up by 3 in the final 10 seconds. Indiana’s 22 turnovers in the game contributed to 32 points for the Celtics, the most they scored in any game this season.
Head coach Rick Carlisle expressed disappointment in the team’s uncharacteristic performance, especially in the crucial moments of the game. The Pacers had more turnovers than field goals in the final 5:30 of the game and overtime. Center Myles Turner acknowledged, “Being a youthful team in this high-stakes game, those uncharacteristic mistakes just made their way out.” Despite the loss, Carlisle emphasized the need to learn from the experience and bounce back for Game 2.
Although the Pacers missed an opportunity to take Game 1, players like Haliburton found encouragement in their performance. Despite the late-game mistakes, they demonstrated that they can compete with the Celtics and belong in the Eastern Conference finals. Haliburton reflected on the game, saying, “We know we can play with these guys. It’s discouraging we were in position to win the game but didn’t. But it’s encouraging that we played great for about 47 minutes, just didn’t sustain for 48.” The Pacers have a history of dropping Game 1 in previous rounds and coming back to win the series, giving them hope for the rest of the series.
The Indiana Pacers’ Game 1 loss to the Boston Celtics was a missed opportunity to steal a win on the road. Despite playing well for most of the game, crucial turnovers and mistakes in the final minutes cost them the victory. Moving forward, the Pacers need to address their ball security and execution in clutch situations to bounce back in Game 2 and beyond.
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