The needed one more minute of great play to steal a Game 1 win over the . Unfortunately, they came up just short. The Pacers lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in heartbreaking fashion, blowing a late lead in the final minute to allow the Celtics to force overtime.
Indiana had their chances in overtime, but couldn't keep up with the Celtics offense, as they fell, 133-128. After the game, Pacers star guard said the Pacers know they can hang with the Celtics and just need to focus on closing out after playing 47 "great" minutes in Game 1. "Today we played great for about 47 minutes and just didn't sustain it for 48," - Tyrese Haliburton Haliburton said the Pacers had been "trash" in Game 1s in their first-round series against the and second-round series against the , calling Tuesday's game an improvement.
Wild Finish Between Pacers & Celtics in Game 1 Unfortunately, Haliburton had a heavy hand in the Pacers' meltdown. Haliburton dribbled the ball out of bounds with 27 seconds to play in regulation and the Pacers leading by three. Though that play didn't lead directly to a Celtics basket, it did cost the Pacers the opportunity to run the clock down and perhaps get fouled by the Celtics.
After hit a wild, game-tying three-pointer in the corner with six seconds to play, the Pacers still had a chance to win the game. However, Haliburton turned down several looks from deep while evading Celtics defenders and only got off a tough, well-contested shot as he fell out of bound.
