This one, the Pacers would certainly have bitterly regretted. On Wednesday, against the undefeated Celtics, Indiana was in control for a long time, leading by 24 points in the third quarter, and again by 19 units just over seven minutes from the buzzer. But Rick Carlisle's men came close to a big disappointment, letting Boston come back and push the match into overtime. They needed a lot of mental resources and a Pascal Siakam clutch to come out with a smile on their face (135-132).
The Cameroonian was impressive in the last minute of the match to equalize with a well-contested fadeway, before fold the match with 6.1 seconds remaining by far. The conclusion of a great evening for the former Raptor behind the 3-point line, with his six winners synonymous with a career record equaled. “ I was open, I just had to send“, he reacted soberly to ESPN, emphasizing more on what his shots meant for his team.
A successful “money time” this time
This meeting went beyond just another victory for the Pacers. Authors of a sluggish start to the season with three defeats in a row, they were mainly left with two setbacks at the end of the match, against the stripped Sixers then against the Magic, direct opponent for a good place in the East.
“ We had two games that we lost due to 2-3 loose balls, rebounds… We wanted to get this one. We had the advantage and we let them come back but we fought. We have to be that team that fights until the end. »
As an experienced manager, and while Indiana had to do without Myles Turner then without Andrew Nembhard, released after five minutes for knee tendinitis, Pascal Siakam set an example with 29 points at 11/20, accompanied by 11 rebounds, 5 assists. “ Staying calm, calm and focused has been really huge for us, especially with the way I'm playing at the moment » estimated Tyrese Haliburton, definitely struggling with his shot (17 points at 7/19 on Wednesday). “ We really need him to keep the ship afloat. »
A first revenge on the conference final
Pascal Siakam has seen others on the Toronto side, from the young “energizer” in the title epic to established All-Star status.
The interior had especially not forgotten anything about his first playoffs with his new franchise last spring, and this conference final lost against the Celtics. If they had been swept 4-0 by Boston, only Game 2 had been a solo affair for the future champion, winner of the other three meetings by a cumulative 11 points.
“ We lost four times to these guys in May and three of those losses were the same situations as tonight » remembered Pascal Siakam. “ It was a good experience to grow and learn. Losing balls, hanging on and still coming out on top is huge, it shows that we have grown. » « It's easy to go into overtime being rather negative because we feel like we won the game for a long time. » explained Tyrese Haliburton to the press, who praises the “ maturity » taken by his team. “ But we have been in exactly this position, with exactly the same team. This is a big victory for us. »
With 2 victories and 3 defeats, the Pacers will now have to continue to find a balance sheet more revealing of their ambitions.
“ There will always be ups and downs in the season, it's a marathon, not a sprint » said Pascal Siakam. The schedule is not easy for Indiana in the coming days with a quick move West to the Pelicans then the Mavericks before another possible revenge, against the Magic, this time in Indianapolis.
