NBA Playoffs: Tatum Leads Celtics to Thrilling 133-128 Win Over Pacers in East Finals Game 1
NBA Playoffs Showdown: The Boston Celtics narrowly defeated the Indiana Pacers 133-128 in overtime in a dramatic opening to the Eastern Conference finals.
Jayson Tatum delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 36 points, including 10 crucial points in the extra period.
The Pacers defeated the Celtics, who were still without seven-foot center Kristaps Porzingis, by making thirteen 3-pointers and scoring fifty-six points in the paint behind Tyrese Haliburton’s twenty-five points and ten assists.
The Celtics anticipated receiving every player’s best shot going into the postseason. In order to start the Eastern Conference playoffs, the East’s top seed narrowly avoided a difficult one.
With 6.1 seconds left in regulation, Jaylen Brown made the game-winning 3-pointer. With 10 points in overtime, Jayson Tatum scored 36 points, and Boston came back just in time to defeat the Indiana Pacers 133–128 on Tuesday night. Brown finished with 26 points, and Jrue Holiday scored a season-high 28.
“Greetings from the NBA Playoffs. All you need to do is control your feelings. Regarding his tie-3, Brown stated, “Anything can happen.” “Until the last buzzer rings, it’s not over. Until it ends, it isn’t over. At the very end of the game, we managed to win.”
With Game 2 scheduled for Thursday in Boston, it gave his team new energy and enabled them to maintain home-court advantage.
The Pacers defeated the Celtics, who were still without seven-foot center Kristaps Porzingis, by making thirteen 3-pointers and scoring fifty-six points in the paint behind Tyrese Haliburton’s twenty-five points and ten assists.
However, Boston tightened up on defense, recording 11 steals overall, with three coming from Brown, Tatum, and Holiday. In the history of the NBA Playoffs, the Celtics are the only team to have three players record 25 points and three steals in the same contest.
The Celtics shot cold from three-point range for the majority of the game, but they finished the evening 15 of 45 from beyond the arc.
Al Horford, a forward with the Boston Celtics, stated, “We keep talking about protecting home court.” “Whatever it takes,” I said.
12 rebounds and 24 points were added by Pascal Siakam. The sixth-seeded Pacers, led by Myles Turner, who finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, twice turned the ball over while holding a three-point advantage in the last 30 seconds of regulation.
With Siakam squarely in his face, Brown made them pay for the second one by tying the score at 117 with a three-pointer from the corner.
According to Brown, “Jrue made a great pass, (Derrick White) set a great screen, and the rest is history.”
Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics was impressed by Brown’s calmness.
He said, “Jaylen had great balance.” “Excellent shot, great pass.”
The Pacers’ coach, Rick Carlisle, claimed that the failure to call a timeout to advance the ball before to their turnover, which allowed Brown to score, was “totally on me” for the defeat.
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When asked how many of Indiana’s 21 turnovers were avoidable, Haliburton responded.
He remarked, “I think it’s more on us.” “I simply got the impression that they were probably more focused on us than forcing turnovers.”
When an opponent scores 100 points or more, the Celtics are now 2-2.
Holiday claimed that despite trailing late in regulation, the Celtics never gave up.
“I believe that we have always known that anything can happen. Crazy things happen all the time, according to Holiday. “Part of the reason we were so resilient, in my opinion, is that we didn’t think we lost the game until we actually did.”
With 1:46 left, Haliburton made all three of his free throws after being fouled, giving Indiana the lead again, 123–121. Tatum then used his strength to make a layup, but T.J. McConnell fouled him. With his final three-pointer, he gave Boston a decisive lead.
The Pacers passed it over to Haliburton once more. Tatum was the recipient of the ball at the top of the key. With 43 seconds remaining, he pumped, sidestepped a defender, and sank a three-pointer to make it 127-123.
Siakam and White exchanged layups. After being fouled, Holiday made two free throws to give Boston a 131-125 lead.
“We did a lot of good things in this game, so it’s unfortunate that a few mistakes at the end cost us the win, but this is the NBA playoffs,” Carlisle remarked. “Learning from it and moving forward is imperative.”
