The Boston Celtics showed their composure in a 133-128 overtime win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. With the team down by 5 points inside the final two minutes of regulation, a big turnaround was needed. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum showed out and did a good job of taking the team over the line. Brown nailed a three-point effort to tie the game with just 5.7 seconds on the clock.
There was still enough time for the Pacers to make a play, but the Celtics defense locked them up and took the game into overtime. Tatum scored 11 points for the seventeen-time champions in OT, including a clutch three-point effort that proved to be the dagger for the Pacers. The 26-year-old ended the night with 36 points on 46.2% shooting from the field. Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown also stepped up for the Celtics as they scored 28 and 26 points respectively.
The Indiana Pacers were giving the Celtics a run for their money in Game 1. They put in their best effort till the final buzzer, but it proved to be valiant as the team from Boston took over the game in the OT period. Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam combined to score 72 points on the night. The bench once again stepped up for the Pacers as they scored 30 points in Game 1. The Pacers gave away 21 turnovers, which is what proved to be their Achilles heel in the game.
Are the Pacers an easy matchup for the Boston Celtics?
The Boston Celtics’ road to the ECF has been easier than compared to the other teams. They faced two injury-riddled teams in the previous two rounds to set a matchup against the Indiana Pacers in the ECF. However, they earned the right to have an easy route, courtesy of their dominant run in the regular season where they finished fourteen games above the other sides in the East.
Indiana certainly offers a lot of challenges to the Boston Celtics as they are deep and have multiple scorers on the roster. While Tyrese Haliburton is the star of the team, there are several other guys that can step up on any given occasion and win the game for the Pacers. In fact, Haliburton has struggled to find consistency in the playoffs, but the team is still moving ahead as the other players on the roster are stepping up.
It was visible in Game 1 that the Celtics were doing their best to trap Tyrese Haliburton in double teams and force him to make mistakes. This worked a few times for them in the clutch, but the presence of other players like Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard, helped the Pacers stay close to the Celtics throughout the game.
This series definitely has all the chances of being a long one for both teams. The difference maker for the Celtics would have been Kristaps Porzingis, but his return date is still not decided. However, Boston will be looking to get the job done regardless as they have been in this stage many times over the past few years and have suffered heartbreaks. They are the most experienced team left in the playoffs now, which is what makes them a tough side to beat.
