For the third time in four games, the Indiana Pacers held a lead late in the fourth quarter.
The Boston Celtics have come from behind for the third time in four games. Boston rallied from an 89-82 fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Pacers 105-102 on Monday night in Indianapolis for their second comeback victory in two games.
With the win, the Celtics secured a 4-0 victory in the Eastern Conference Finals and a berth in the NBA Finals. Boston will face the winner of the Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves game for the NBA Championship. The Mavericks hold a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals and have a chance to clinch the series at home on Tuesday night.
Derrick White’s shot seals the Celtics’ comeback victory
Boston trailed for much of the fourth quarter before Jaylen Brown tied the game at 102-102 on a floater, then Derrick White hit a 3-pointer with 43.9 seconds left to give the Celtics their first lead of the fourth quarter, 105-102.
The score was the final one of the game and the series as the Celtics stunned the Indiana crowd for the second straight game. Boston beat Indiana and the Pacers played for the second straight game without All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton, who missed Games 3 and 4 with a hamstring strain.
The Pacers controlled the game until the final minutes and seemed destined to force a Game 5. With the Celtics trailing, Pascal Siakam drilled a layup in a scramble to extend Indiana’s lead to 102-98 with 3:32 left in the game. That was the last time the Pacers scored.
Pacers offense stalls again late in game
With 3:32 left, the Pacers were 0-of-4 from the field and lost the ball twice. Andrew Nembard missed a final 3-point attempt to match White with 32.1 seconds left. Celtics guard Jayson Tatum got the rebound and Indiana didn’t have possession after that.
For the Pacers, it was the biggest heartbreaking end to a frustrating series, after they lost Game 1 in overtime in Boston after leading 115-110 with two minutes left and then blew an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter at home in Game 3 on Saturday before losing to the Celtics 114-11.
Monday’s loss was no different. Indiana was one possession away from winning each of those three games, but the Celtics made strong plays late each time to secure the series win.
Brown led another sensational Celtics performance with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists, making 11 of 22 shots from the field and 4 of 8 from 3-point range. He averaged 29.8 points per game in the series and made the deciding 3-point shot that sent the game into overtime in Game 1. His performance earned him the ECF MVP award.
A refereeing dispute over what was clearly a flagrant foul but was not actually a flagrant foul
Like many postseason games, Monday’s game was not without its share of officiating controversy. With 7:30 left in the game and Indiana leading 98-84, Pacers guard TJ McConnell missed a 3-pointer by Andrew Nembard and got the offensive rebound. Brown hit McConnell in the face, sending him tumbling violently backwards down the court.
Although it was unintentional, it was a classic flagrant foul — unnecessary and reckless contact with an opposing player’s head. The umpire didn’t think so.
After the officials reviewed the foul, referee Zach Zarba announced to a disgruntled Indiana crowd that it was ruled a standard foul.
“The contact was unfortunate, but it did not rise to the level of a flagrant foul penalty,” Zarba said.
Instead of two free throws and possession for a flagrant foul, the Pacers were awarded possession for a non-shooting foul. On the ensuing possession, McConnell missed a jump shot and Jrue Holiday made a layup at the other end, continuing the Celtics’ rally.
This sequence of events wasn’t to blame for the Pacers’ late offensive collapse in Indiana, but it certainly didn’t lead to them winning. Either way, their season is over and Boston moves on to compete for its first NBA championship since 2008.
The Celtics won Monday night despite being outshot from the field (46% vs. 44.9%) and from 3-point range (34.5% vs. 31.8%) and being outrebounded 47-44. But they made more 3-pointers than Indiana (10-for-14) and forced 14 Pacers turnovers. And, once again, they were the more composed team down the stretch.
Tatum led the Celtics along with Brown in scoring with 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. In addition to his game-winning three-pointer, White was a force on defense, finishing with 16 points, four rebounds, four assists, five steals and three blocked shots.
Nembard led the Pacers for the second straight game in Haliburton’s absence with 24 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Sicom added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and McConnell was another strong performance off the bench with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.
But Indiana’s season is over, and the Pacers will look back on a successful season that ended in frustrating fashion.
