Tuesday's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers had a little bit of everything.
There was a historic level of offense. The two teams combined for 261 points, the highest-scoring game so far this postseason and the most combined points in a conference finals game since 1987.
There were critical turnovers. The Pacers conceded it 22 times, the second-most this season, but that didn't stop the underdogs from overcoming multiple double-digit deficits, including a 12-0 run by the Celtics to open the game.
There were shots that changed the momentum from long range. Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton hit two of them, one from 35 feet just before halftime and another that crashed off the backboard twice before the third-quarter buzzer sounded.
It all led to the frantic final moments of regulation that included multiple mistakes by the Pacers, culminating in Celtics wing Jaylen Brown burying a contested corner 3-pointer that forced overtime and helped Boston to a miraculous victory. by 133-128.
Now that we're up to speed on one of the wildest games of the 2024 postseason, our NBA experts break down the biggest moments from Game 1, which could be next in Game 2 on Thursday (8 p.m. ET). This on ESPN) and how he describes that crazy late sequence inside Boston's TD Garden.
1:31
Jaylen Brown buries 3 in final seconds to tie game against Pacers
After Pascal Siakam's mistake, the Celtics get the ball back and a contested corner kick from Jaylen Brown ties it with 5.7 left in the fourth quarter.
What is your biggest takeaway from Game 1?
Tim Bontemps: The Celtics escaped. Boston was seconds away from falling to 15-15 at home over the last three postseasons (an inexplicable statistic for a team that lost just four times at TD Garden during the 2023-24 regular season) and losing another game in a massive tiebreaker. helpless. And yet, Boston found a way to survive behind Jaylen Brown's game-tying 3-pointer and the poise and presence of guard Jrue Holiday. In many ways, this was the first true playoff game Boston played this postseason, and Holiday delivered everything the Celtics hoped for when they acquired him on the eve of training camp in September.
Jamal Collier: The Pacers showed they can hold off the Celtics. A few minutes after Boston took a 12-0 lead in the first quarter, it looked like this was headed for a blowout. But Indiana responded as it has all season, overcoming two separate double-digit deficits in the game to take the lead both times. The Pacers showed they have a plan to make this a competitive series against the top-seeded Celtics, especially if Haliburton can continue to pitch so well. He hit six 3-pointers in Game 1, including consecutive shots at the buzzer to end the second and third quarters.
Chris Herring: Playoffs or not, this will be a tremendously dynamic series, even in the final moments, which can and should create more chaos than we are used to.
More importantly, we're already seeing that Indiana is likely to lose the free throw battle by a considerable margin every game. During the regular season, per shot attempt, the Pacers sent their opponents to the line at the highest rate in the league, while the Celtics sent their opponents to the line at the lowest rate in the NBA. That dichotomy manifested itself in Game 1. Boston made 30 free throws to Indiana's 10, and Jayson Tatum made 12 attempts alone.
What's the big adjustment we could see in Game 2?
Good time: Boston desperately needs to improve its defense inside the 3-point line. Indiana shot 62.5% from 2-point range in Game 1 (66.1% at the end of regulation) as the Celtics felt the loss of 7-foot-3 Kristaps Porzingis' paint protection. Brown said after the game that Boston had to adjust to Indiana's level of pace as the game progressed even though the Pacers needed to overcome a grueling seven-game series against the New York Knicks just two days ago.
Miner: The Pacers have to take care of the ball. It's obvious and hasn't been a problem for Indy for most of this season (they averaged the second-fewest turnovers per game among playoff teams entering Game 1), but the Pacers got sloppy with the ball. when it mattered most at the end of the game. Game 1. Indiana center Myles Turner said it was the first time during this playoff run that he thought the team was showing its age with such unusual mistakes. Whatever the cause, the Pacers have to hold onto the ball in Game 2 and not allow Boston to get close to the 32 points off turnovers they recorded in the first game.
Herring: After how the Pacers got ahead late, I wouldn't be surprised if the Celtics look for a way to shore up the defense in crunch time, whether through different switching patterns or simply playing higher and risking going out of the box a little more. of the hoop. vulnerable; especially considering how little Indiana got to the free throw line.
Specifically, the Pacers took down 37-year-old big man Al Horford from midrange in the fourth quarter and overtime, connecting on 6 of 9 attempts when Horford was the primary defender during that stretch. That shouldn't be a surprise; The Pacers were the most efficient mid-range shooting team in the league during the regular season.
The final moments of regulation and overtime were ____.
Good time: Chaotic. There were wild passes. Unexplained turnovers. Open shots miss badly. It was everything that comes with the crucible of the final moments of a closely contested playoff game. Both Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday essentially said the same thing after the game: Boston never believed the game was over until it was actually over. The Celtics may have been the only ones inside TD Garden who believed that, but they ended up being right.
Miner: Unpredictable. That game went from “close, but Boston doesn't really look threatened here” to “wait, the Pacers are going to steal this game” to “Oh, how did the Pacers screw this up?” Losing a playoff game after shooting the ball up three points with 10 seconds left put the Pacers in a category with historically unlikely losers; They were the first team to lose a playoff game that way since 1997-98.
Herring: Ugly. Indiana made a lot of “never been here” mistakes. Haliburton fumbled the ball several times and waited too long to shoot as time expired in regulation. The Pacers forced a terrible downfield pass late, even though they had a timeout to spare. And none of this even touches on the fact that Haliburton looked like he was trying to commit a late intentional foul in transition, which would have given Boston two critical free throws.
In total, Indy had more than twice as many turnovers (five) as field goals (two) in the final 5:30 of regulation and overtime. Boston also made a lot of mistakes. But as a favorite and a club with home field advantage, the Celtics can afford it. The Pacers can't.
Statistics and information from ESPN contributed to this story.
