2024 NBA playoffs – Greatest takeaways from a chaotic Recreation 1 between Boston and Indiana

Recreation 1 of the Jap Convention finals between the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers had a bit of little bit of every little thing:

There was a historic stage of offense. The 2 groups mixed for 261, the highest-scoring recreation to this point this postseason and essentially the most mixed factors in a convention finals recreation since 1987.

There have been important turnovers. The Pacers gave it away 22 instances, their second most this season, but it surely did not cease the heavy underdog from overcoming a number of double-digit deficits, together with a 12-0 run by the Celtics to open the sport.

There have been momentum-shifting photographs from lengthy vary. Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton hit two of them, one from 35 ft simply earlier than halftime and one other that banked off the backboard twice earlier than beating the third-quarter buzzer.

All of it led to the frantic ultimate moments of regulation that featured a number of miscues by the Pacers, culminating in Celtics wing Jaylen Brown burying a contested nook 3-pointer that compelled extra time and helped Boston pull off a 133-128 miracle win.

Now that we’re up to the mark on one of many wildest video games of the 2024 postseason, our NBA insiders are breaking down the largest moments of Recreation 1, what could possibly be subsequent in Thursday’s Recreation 2 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN) and the way to describe that wild late sequence inside Boston’s TD Backyard.

What’s your largest takeaway from Recreation 1?

Tim Bontemps: The Celtics escaped. Boston was seconds away from falling to 15-15 at house over the past three postseasons — an inexplicable statistic for a workforce that misplaced simply 4 video games inside TD Backyard this season — and drop one other recreation to an enormous playoff underdog. And but, Boston discovered a solution to survive behind Jaylen Brown’s game-tying 3 – and the poise and presence of guard Jrue Vacation. In some ways, this was the primary true playoff recreation Boston has performed on this postseason, and Vacation delivered every little thing the Celtics hoped he would after they acquired him on the eve of coaching camp again in September.

Jamal Collier: The Pacers confirmed they will grasp with the Celtics. A couple of minutes into the sport after Boston raced out to a 12-0 lead within the first quarter, it regarded like this was headed for a blowout. However Indiana responded because it has all season, overcoming two separate double-digit deficits within the recreation to take the lead each instances. The Pacers confirmed they’ve a blueprint to make this a aggressive sequence in opposition to the top-seeded Celtics, particularly if Haliburton can proceed taking pictures this effectively. He hit six 3-pointers in Recreation 1, together with back-to-back buzzer beaters to finish the second and third quarters.

Chris Herring: Playoffs or not, that is going to be a wildly uptempo sequence — even within the closing moments, which might and will make for extra chaos than we’re used to.

Extra importantly, we’re already seeing that Indiana is probably going going to lose the free-throw battle by a substantial margin every recreation. Throughout the common season, on a per-shot-attempt foundation, the Pacers despatched their opponents to the road on the highest fee within the league, whereas the Celtics despatched their opponents to the stripe on the NBA’s lowest fee. That dichotomy performed out in Recreation 1. Boston bought 30 free throws to Indiana’s 10, and Jayson Tatum had 12 makes an attempt by himself.

What’s one large adjustment we may see in Recreation 2?

Bontemps: Boston desperately wants to enhance its protection contained in the 3-point line. Indiana shot 62.5% from 2-point vary in Recreation 1 — 66.1% on the finish of regulation — because the Celtics felt the lack of 7-foot-3 Kristaps Porzingis’ paint safety. Brown stated postgame that Boston needed to alter to Indiana’s stage of tempo as the sport wore on regardless of the Pacers needing to beat a grueling seven-game sequence in opposition to the New York Knicks simply two days in the past.

Collier: The Pacers need to handle the ball. It is apparent and hasn’t been a difficulty for the Indy for many of this season (they averaged the second fewest turnovers per recreation amongst playoff groups getting into Recreation 1), however the Pacers bought careless with the ball when it mattered most on the finish of Recreation 1. Indiana middle Myles Turner stated it was the primary time throughout this playoff run he thought the workforce confirmed its age with such uncharacteristic errors. Regardless of the trigger could also be, the Pacers have to carry onto the ball in Recreation 2 and never permit Boston to get anyplace near the 32 factors off turnovers they recorded within the first recreation.

Herring: After how the Pacers pulled forward late, I would not be shocked if the Celtics search for a solution to tighten issues up defensively in clutch time, whether or not it is by completely different change patterns or just enjoying up increased and risking leaving the rim space a bit extra susceptible; particularly contemplating how hardly ever Indiana bought to the free throw line.

Particularly, the Pacers carved up 37-year-old large man Al Horford from the midrange within the fourth quarter and in extra time, connecting on 6-of-9 makes an attempt when Horford was the first defender throughout that stretch. That should not come as a shock; the Pacers had been the league’s best midrange taking pictures workforce through the common season.

The ultimate moments of regulation and extra time had been ____.

Bontemps: Chaotic. There have been wild passes. Inexplicable turnovers. Vast open photographs lacking badly. It was every little thing that comes with the crucible of the ultimate moments of a nip-and-tuck playoff recreation. Each Jaylen Brown and Jrue Vacation primarily stated the identical factor postgame: Boston by no means believed the sport was over till it truly was. The Celtics might have been the one ones inside TD Backyard to consider that, however they wound up being proper.

Collier: Unpredictable. That recreation went from “shut however Boston would not actually look threatened right here” to “wait, the Pacers are going to steal this recreation” to “Oh my, how did the Pacers blow this?” Dropping a playoff recreation after inbounding the ball up three factors with 10 seconds remaining put the Pacers in a class with traditionally unlikely losers; they had been the primary workforce to drop a playoff recreation in such style since 1997-98.

Herring: Ugly. Indiana had so many “we have by no means been right here” errors. Haliburton misplaced the ball a number of instances, and waited too lengthy to get a shot off as time expired in regulation. The Pacers compelled a horrible inbounds move late, though that they had a timeout to spare. And none of this even touches on the truth that Haliburton regarded as if he was attempting to commit a late intentional foul in transition, which might have given Boston two important free throws.

In all, Indy had greater than twice as many turnovers (5) because it had subject targets (two) within the ultimate 5:30 of regulation and extra time. Boston made loads of miscues, too. However as the favourite and the membership with house court docket benefit, the Celtics can afford that. The Pacers cannot.

ESPN Stats & Info contributed to this story.