The Boston Celtics took care of home court and delivered a rude welcome to the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Celtics came out of the gate on fire, going on a 12-0 run in an ear-piercing and blaring environment at TD Garden, and it was just the kind of forceful message the Celtics needed to send. Some celebrities that were on hand included Red Sox legend David Ortiz, Food Networks Guy Fieri, actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Boston native Donnie Wahlberg, New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye, Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, defensive end Keion White and running back Antonio Gibson.
The Pacers did not let it affect them, however, and shrugged it off. They are use to hostile and are unfriendly arenas, having just defeated the New York Knicks in a Game 7 two days earlier at Madison Square Garden.
The Pacers break-neck offensive tempo was a catalyst for getting them back in the game, and they had a 3-point lead with 46.8 seconds remaining in the final frame. Unfortunately for the Pacers, their inexperience in playoff competition came to the forefront, they committed costly turnovers and failed to protect the lead.
It was a chaotic finish, punctuated by Indiana’s missed opportunities and Celtics star Jayson Tatum’s offense.
The Celtics Jaylen Brown made a nearly impossible corner 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds left to force overtime, and the Celtics outscored the Pacers 16-11 in the five minutes of OT for a 133-128 victory in Game. 1.
Tatum followed a 3-point play with a 3-pointer from the top of the arc, giving Boston a four-point advantage, 127-123, with 42.9 seconds to go, and it was enough cushion to escape with a victory.
“Welcome to the NBA playoffs. You’ve just got to manage your emotions. Anything can happen,” Brown said of his tying 3. “It’s not over until the final buzzer sounds. … It’s not over until it’s over. We found a way to win the game at the very end.”
Tatum put on a show, leading everyone with 36 points and cleaned up the glass with 12 rebounds and had three steals. He put up 10 points in the extra session and was one of a trio of Celtics players with at least 26 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Brown filled up the stat sheet with 26 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals, and Jrue Holiday contributed a season-high 28 points, with eight dimes, seven rebounds and three steals.
Pascal Siakam added a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Myles Turner finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds for the sixth-seeded Pacers, who twice turned it over with a three-point lead in the final 30 seconds of regulation.
As stated previously, Brown made them pay for the second one, hitting a 3 from the corner with Siakam right in his face to tie it at 117.
“Jrue made a good pass, Derrick White set a great screen and the rest is history,” Brown said.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla liked the poise Brown showed.
“Jaylen had great balance,” he said. “Great pass, great shot.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who won a championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, said the loss was “totally on me” for not calling a timeout to advance the ball before their turnover that set up Brown’s shot.
Embed from Getty ImagesGame 2 is Thursday in Boston (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The Celtics had the No. 1 offense and the Pacers the No. 2 offense during the regular season. The scoring prowess was apparent. Both teams were able to stay hot from the field at the 50% mark with Boston 47.5% and Indiana at 53.5%, and seven Pacers scored in double-figures led by Tyrese Haliburton’s 25 points and 10 assists and Pascal Siakam had 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
While Boston had the league’s No. 2 defense, Indiana’s plan is to apply as much pressure as possible with their pace. But among the difference-makers in this game: Indiana’s turnovers. The Pacers committed 22 turnovers, leading to 32 Celtics points.
17-yearVeteran Al Horford, who will be 38 years old on June 3, who is in the starting lineup for the injured Kristaps Porzingis, had 15 points and six rebounds. He does not replace what Porzingis does but his experience helps minimize Porzingis’ absence. Porzingis has not played since Game 4 of the first round against the Miami Heat because of strained right calf. He is targeting a possible Game 4 return, ESPN reported on Tuesday.
“We keep talking about protecting home court,” Celtics forward Horford said. “It’s whatever it takes.”
The Celtics shot 30 free throws, connecting on 24, and the Pacers were just 9-for-10 from the foul line with seven of those attempts coming in overtime. That is a byproduct of how both teams approach the game.
Pacers coach Carlisle complained vehemently about the officiating during the Knicks series, and his pocket was a little lighter as a result. The NBA fined him $35,000 for “public criticism of the officiating and questioning the integrity of the league and its officials,” the league said in a news release.
“It’s unfortunate we did so many good things in this game that it came down to a couple of mistakes at the end, but it’s the NBA playoffs,” Carlisle said. “We’ve got to learn from it and we’ve got to bounce back.”
