For the third time in four games, the Indiana Pacers held a lead late in the fourth quarter.
For the third time in four games, the Boston Celtics erased him. Boston rallied from an 89-82 fourth-quarter deficit Monday night to secure a 105-102 victory over the Pacers for a second comeback in two games in Indianapolis.
The victory secures a 4-0 victory in the Eastern Conference Finals for the Celtics and a berth in the NBA Finals. Boston will face the winner between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves for the NBA championship. The Mavericks have a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference finals and have a chance to secure their own series sweep at home on Tuesday night.
Derrick White’s dagger completes Celtics’ comeback
Boston trailed for most of the fourth quarter before tying the game at 102-102 on a Jaylen Brown floater. Derrick White then secured the Celtics’ first lead of the quarter at 105-102 with a 3-pointer with 43.9 seconds remaining.
It turned out to be the last bucket of the game and the series as the Celtics shocked the Indiana crowd for the second straight game. Boston beat Indiana as the Pacers played a second straight game without All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton, who missed Games 3 and 4 with a hamstring strain.
The Pacers appeared to be in control and destined to force a Game 5 until the final minutes of the game. With the Celtics closing the gap, Pascal Siakam scored a layup in traffic to extend Indiana’s lead to 102-98 with 3:32 remaining. It was the last time the Pacers scored.
Pacers’ offense shuts down late, again
Over the final 3:32, the Pacers went 0-4 from the field and turned the ball over twice. Andrew Nembhard’s last-gasp 3-point attempt to tie White’s failed with 32.1 seconds left. Jayson Tatum secured the rebound for the Celtics and Indiana never possessed the ball again.
For the Pacers, the conclusion marked maximum heartbreak in a series filled with frustration. They led Game 1 in Boston, 115-110 in the final two minutes before losing in overtime. They led Saturday’s Game 3 at home by 18 points, but blew a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter in the Celtics’ 114-11 victory.
Monday’s loss was more of the same. Indiana was one possession away from winning any of those three games. But the Celtics made the plays down the stretch every time to secure the series victory.
Jaylen Brown and the Celtics are headed to the NBA Finals. (Justin Casterline//Keynote USA/Getty Images)
Brown led the Celtics in another sensational effort, scoring 29 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists. He shot 11 of 22 from the field and 4 of 8 from 3-point range. He averaged 29.8 points per game in the series and hit the decisive 3-pointer in Game 1 that sent the game to overtime. He earned the ECF MVP award for his efforts.
Refereeing controversy due to apparent flagrant foul that was not
Like much of the postseason, Monday’s game was not without controversy over the officiating. With Indiana leading 98-84 in the final 7:30 of the game, Pacers guard TJ McConnell secured an offensive rebound off a missed 3-pointer by Nembhard. Brown punched him in the face and sent McConnell back hard toward the court.
It wasn’t intentional, but it was a textbook flagrant foul with unnecessary and reckless contact to the opponent’s head. Officials saw it differently.
After the referees reviewed the play, referee Zach Zarba announced to a disapproving Indiana crowd that it had been ruled a common foul.
“The contact, while unfortunate, does not rise to the level of a flagrant foul,” Zarba said.
Instead of two free throws and the possession that would come with a flagrant foul, the Pacers were awarded only possession for the no-shot foul. McConnell missed a jumper on the next possession and Jrue Holiday scored a layup at the other end to continue the Celtics’ comeback.
The sequence in Indiana can’t be blamed for the late collapse of the Pacers’ offense. But it certainly didn’t help his cause. Regardless, their season is over and Boston advances to compete for its first NBA championship since 2008.
The Celtics won Monday night despite being outshot from the field (46%-44.9%) and 3-point distance (34.5% to 31.8%) and losing the rebounding battle, 47-44. But they shot a higher volume of 3-pointers (14 to 10) than Indiana and forced 14 Pacers turnovers. And, again, they were calmer down the stretch.
Tatum joined Brown to lead the Celtics’ effort with 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. In addition to his game-winning 3-pointers, White was a force on defense, scoring 16 points, four rebounds, four assists, five steals and three blocked shots.
Nembhard led the Pacers for the second straight game in Haliburton’s absence with 24 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Siakam had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while McConnell had another good game off the bench with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.
But Indiana’s season is over, leaving the Pacers looking back on a successful campaign that ended in frustrating fashion.
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