Only eight seconds separated the Indiana Pacers from a Game 1 victory in the Eastern Conference Finals over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. Holding a three-point lead with the ball, it appeared as if the Pacers were going to pull off a monumental upset to begin this series. A turnover on the inbounds pass, followed by a Jaylen Brown-made three, sent the game to overtime, ultimately resulting in the Pacers' demise. A near-100 percent win probability did a 180 on Indiana, causing Rick Carlisle's crew to simply shake their heads while watching the game film.
Although this loss was crushing, the Pacers remain optimistic about their approach against Boston.
“The game last night is disappointing. We are disappointed, but not dismayed,” Carlisle said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday afternoon. “We did a lot of good things. We gotta cut down on the turnovers; I mean, the 22 turnovers for 32 points is not Indiana Pacers basketball.”
One of the deciding factors in this riveting Game 1 was, in fact, the 22 turnovers the Pacers had that resulted in 32 points for the Celtics. The turnover Andrew Nembhard had with eight seconds remaining turned out to be the most costly of the night for Indiana.
Even in a game that ripped the hearts out of the Pacers, Carlisle noted that there were a lot of great things the team could take away from this game. Tyrese Haliburton had a 25-point double-double, and the Pacers shot over 50 percent against one of the best defensive teams in basketball.
“One thing I love about our team is the way we pass the ball. We led the league in the number of passes per game, really from start to finish. Last night we had, according to the stats I got, we had 390 passes. I thought we probably should've had more passes, particularly in the fourth quarter.
“There's some things we need to sure up, but I love the fight of our guys… It's one game in this series, and we gotta get ready for Game 2.”
The Pacers ranked first in the league in assists per game during the regular season, and as Carlisle mentioned, they were the best passing team in the league. The most impressive aspect of them constantly moving the ball around is that Indiana, for the most part, took care of the basketball by limiting their turnovers during the regular season. As good as the Celtics can be on defense, the Pacers shot themselves in the foot by causing their own turnovers more so than Boston stepping up their defensive intensity in the second half of Game 1 on Tuesday.
TJ McConnell is the key to Pacers' success
Haliburton has been the driving force for the Pacers all season. While fighting through multiple injuries, he has been the leader of a Pacers team nobody expected to be in the Eastern Conference Finals. His contributions are vital to the success of this team, but perhaps TJ McConnell can continue to build off of the success he found against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Against the Knicks, McConnell averaged 11.9 points and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 51.3 percent off the bench. He turned the ball over a total of 10 times in the seven-game series. As the stabilizing presence in the Pacers' backcourt, McConnell oftentimes acts as the change of pace guard for this team's course of attack on offense.
Whereas Haliburton pushes the pace of play and looks to strike quickly, McConnell is a lot more methodical and poised with the basketball in his hands. This is not to say that the veteran point guard can't play uptempo, but he is one of the main reasons why the Pacers have found so much success moving the basketball. Carlisle understands the importance of McConnell's contributions, which is why he continues to lean on him as the team's sixth man.
“The term I use for TJ; He's a defiant competitor,” Carlisle told McAfee on Wednesday. “TJ is a dawg and he gets after it. He brings a spirit, an infectious spirit, to our team, and he's one of the big reasons why we've had the success that we've had.”
Even though the advanced metrics from Game 1 may not show this, McConnell left his mark and made a positive impact on the court with his 13 points and four assists. His leadership as the Pacers' main facilitator doesn't go unnoticed, and McConnell has a chance to be the X-factor in this series.
Turnovers were the Pacers' downfall against the Celtics on Tuesday. Indiana had a total of 15 turnovers from their starting five. McConnell can enter the game, slow things down, and get his team back on track offensively. That is why he is valuable against the best team in the league in what the Pacers expect to be a long series.
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