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The Indiana Pacers shocked the world in Game 1.
They had the Boston Celtics against the ropes, and somehow, they just found a way to lose the game.
After trailing by as many as 13 points, Rick Carlisle’s team stormed it’s way back, knocking down shot after shot, locking up Jayson Tatum after a red-hot start to the game, and being up by three with just a handful of seconds to play.
Then, a head-scratching turnover, followed by an off-balance three-pointer by Jaylen Brown, forced overtime and paved the way for the Celtics to secure a win at home.
That’s why, following the loss, Coach Carlisle shared his honest admission about not taking care of business, admitting that he should’ve just taken the timeout, advanced the ball, and iced the game with a couple of free throws (via NBA TV).
“This loss is totally on me. With 10 seconds in regulation, we should’ve just taken the timeout, advanced the ball, found a way to get it in, made a free throw or two, and ended the game.”
Coach Rick Carlisle following the Game 1 loss pic.twitter.com/2h69Yn2WFg
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 22, 2024
That sequence also re-ignited the never-ending debate about whether a team should foul up three or just play fair defense, with most people thinking the Pacers should’ve just gone for the intentional foul to force the Celtics to miss one shot and get the offensive board, which is obviously much more difficult to do.
At the end of the day, the Pacers showed that they’re no pushovers and that they would compete at the highest level.
Unfortunately, this may have also been their biggest chance to pull off an upset, and they might not be able to keep this momentum going if the Celtics — who are not a great Game 2 team — come out firing in the following matchup.
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