Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals was full of twists and turns. Both the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers played until the very last possession. The Boston Celtics took an early 12-0 lead at the start of the game. The Pacers fought their way back to tie the game at the half.
Boston made some adjustments at halftime and managed to go on a run in the 3rd quarter. The Pacers were on the ropes, behind by 13 points, their biggest deficit of the game. However, they didn’t give up. They took advantage of Boston’s comfortable lead and slower pace. Then they fought their way back until they took the lead in the fourth quarter.
Boston Celtics Stars Delivers In Crunch Time
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Both Boston players’ and fans’ stomachs were churning as the Pacers took a 5-point lead late in the fourth. But the Celtics didn’t give up. Jaylen Brown had two clutch moments that sent the game to overtime. He caused the Pacers to turn the ball over with his defensive pressure. Then, with 8.5 seconds on the clock, he hit a highly contested three to send the game to overtime.
Overtime came and another Celtics star stepped up to the plate and deliver for his team. Who is that player? It is none other than Jayson Tatum. He put his team on his shoulders and scored 10 of his teams 16 points in overtime. The game ended with a final score of 133-128.
Two Coaches, Two Calls, Two Different Results
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The end of regulation came down to the wire. The Pacers were up by three points. Boston had the ball with 8.5 seconds on the clock. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle had an important choice: whether to foul and give the other team 2 or possibly 3 free throws or risk giving Boston a contested three to tie the game.
Coach Carlisle has been in this situation before this postseason, in which he chose not to foul, and it worked out in his favor. However, this time it didn’t. Jaylen Brown was able to hit a remarkable shot and forced OT.
Fast forward to overtime, and Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla decided to do somewhat the opposite of Coach Carlisle. He started fouling the Pacers when up by 6 with under a minute left on the clock. He was not taking any chances for the Pacers to get an opportunity to make a 3 and come back. This call ended up sealing the deal for the Celtics to win Game 1.
Each coach makes different calls. They have their reasons behind them. Sometimes it goes in their favor, and sometimes it doesn’t. It will be interesting to see if they change their approach if faced with a similar situation in this series. To stay up to date with this exciting series, stay tuned to our NBA page.
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Hunter is a lifelong sports fan. His main interests are in professional tennis and NBA basketball, be he is a fan of almost every sport. He is a creative/technical writer who also tutors people in English.
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