(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics were favored by double-digits before the start of Game 1, but the Indiana Pacers gave them a major scare.
Rick Carlisle’s group didn’t look like a team that was fresh off playing a Game 7 on the road.
They took the Celtics’ punches and fought back, up to the point where they were up three and had the ball with just a handful of seconds left.
Then, they had one of the most notorious meltdowns in recent NBA playoff history, leaving the door wide open for the Celtics to storm right back.
That’s why Skip Bayless believes the Celtics deserved to win.
The Celtics deserved to win the OT. The Pacers choked away regulation and one thing led to the other. https://t.co/Um55mNTnzK
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 22, 2024
Talking on “Undisputed,” Bayless claimed that the Celtics eventually said enough is enough and handled business when it actually counted.
However, he also ripped the Pacers for letting this lead slip right through their fingers.
Youth and a lack of postseason experience can often backfire, and that may have been the case with Carlisle’s team.
Offensive miscues, not calling timeouts, and then not switching on defense or fouling up three left the door open for Joe Mazzulla’s squad.
It took a perfect storm for the Pacers to be up three late in the TD Garden, and while they may like their chances after that performance, they might not be able to replicate that in the following games.
The Celtics did what winning teams do, which is overcome their mistakes to handle business when they need to do it, even if it’s not always pretty or fancy.
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