Gregg DoyelIndianapolis Star
INDIANAPOLIS – Myles Turner is chuckling, but without joy. A bitter laugh, you call something like this. He’s just been asked about the 2024 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, where his Indiana Pacers were in control of three games late but managed to get swept 4-0 by the Boston Celtics anyway. What’s the win probability of that? Hard to say, but right now Turner isn’t interested in the math and he doesn’t have much in the way of an answer.
“It’s still very fresh for us,” he’s saying minutes after the Pacers’ 105-102 loss Monday night to the Celtics in Game 4, the final insult to an injurious series where the Pacers could have – no, should have – won Games 1, 2 and 4 but lost them all.
“I think we did show our lack of maturity at times, but I don’t have just a straight answer for you, know what I mean?” he said. “It’s very frustrating to have all these game in your grasp and just let it slip through in the end. It’s tough. Very fresh emotions. I can’t give you a straight answer, you know?”
Fair enough. The game has just ended, and with it the series, and with it the season. There will be time for the Pacers to reflect down the road, but for now they’re wrestling with the mixed emotions of a modest breakthrough of a 47-win season followed by an enormous breakthrough of a conference finals run capped by three impressive performances against the Celtics, the best team in the NBA all season, only to get swept anyway.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who knows a thing or two about coaching old teams, coaching young teams and coaching in the NBA playoffs, broke it down like so:
“They simply made more plays,” he was saying of a veteran Celtics team that routinely makes playoff runs and has qualified for its second NBA Finals since 2022. “They blocked shots, they got offensive rebounds, they made key shots. We were unable.”
On the one hand, this all sounds plausible, logical, unsurprising. The Celtics know how to win. The Pacers are still trying to learn. The Pacers also were playing Games 3 and 4 without their best player, third-team All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton. How do you beat the Celtics without Tyrese Haliburton?
That’s one question, and it deserves to be asked. But so does this question, today:
How did the Pacers get swept in a series where they were in control of three games?
How did the Pacers do that?
‘Win probability’ can kiss my...
The nerds call it “win probability.” Apologies to you nerds, but we’re in a bad mood around here. The Pacers had a 95% win probability late in Game 1, when they had a three-point lead and the ball with 10 seconds left. The Pacers had a 91% win probability late in Game 3, which they led by 18 midway through the third quarter and led by eight with 2½ minutes left. The Pacers had a 90% win probability late in Game 4, which they led for the first 23-plus minutes of the 24-minute second half, and led by nine with an open layup by T.J. McConnell with 8:45 left … but missed.
It was easy to be optimistic after Game 1, because that was such a pleasant surprise, bordering on pleasant shock. Look at those plucky Pacers, going into Boston and competing and actually deserving to win! Maybe this series won’t be the uncompetitive joke people around the country seem to think.
It was a little more difficult to be optimistic after Game 3, but we pulled it off, didn’t we? Look at those plucky Pacers now, playing without Haliburton and dominating the Celtics anyway! Until the end, anyway. How do you crack down on a sixth seed, playing without its best player, and thoroughly outplaying the 64-win No. 1 seed for most of the game? We didn’t even try to crack down.
It’s getting really, really difficult to be optimistic now, after Game 4. But let’s try: Look at those plucky Pacers, playing again without Haliburton and … fading again in the final minutes. The Pacers led 102-98 with 3½ minutes left, and didn’t score again. They missed four shots. Had two turnovers. Couldn’t stop Boston from scoring at the rim, or from getting an open corner 3-pointer, or from grabbing an offensive rebound to seal the game in the final seconds.
The Pacers aren’t soft. That’s not what we’re watching here. Not physically soft, anyway. Myles Turner ran over Derrick White for an offensive foul, was gently nudged by Jaylen Brown, and responded by shoving Brown 10 feet, then giving him all kinds of verbal fury.
T.J. McConnell was just bullying the Celtics with energy, dribbling and swerving around traffic, closer and closer to the rim, until he was open and shooting a 5-footer and scoring. McConnell, the shortest player on the court – and lacking the vertical leap to make up for that – grabbed five rebounds, and was trying for another one when he was sent to the deck, landing on his tailbone, by a shot to the head by Brown. As McConnell was writhing in pain, lying face down and slapping at the floor, the crowd was appreciating his toughness:
TJ, TJ, TJ!
McConnell rose, grimacing – the guy was legit hurting – and went to the bench for the ensuing timeout. When he walked back onto the court, Brown met him to apologize. McConnell marched past him, not interested in hearing it.
Nembhard was constantly being accosted by Jrue Holiday away from the action when officials weren’t looking, intimidation by invasion of Nembhard’s personal space, until Nembhard jabbed his elbow into Holiday’s sternum – officials still weren’t looking – after which Holiday decided to leave him alone.
“He’s a dog,” Holiday said appreciatively of Nembhard. “He showed it when Tyrese went out. He takes on a challenge against anybody. He guarded me in the beginning (today), then guarded (Brown). Very impressive on his part. Their whole team, really. I don’t know if people are giving the Pacers enough credit.”
We’re trying. But it’s not easy today.
Nembhard was great, but needed to be perfect
Myles Turner has been here nine years, and grown into a leader. He takes care of his body, his diet, his skills. He played 77 games this season, second-most in his career. He was consistent, providing a professional effort almost every game, after the wild swings that marked most of his first years here. And he takes accountability.
Here’s something else Turner said after Game 4.
“Everyone talks about the playoffs being physically daunting, and it is,” he said. “It’s also mentally daunting – daunting on your spirit, mentally, physically, spiritually. You have to be prepared for these moments. You’re the only game on TV, everyone’s always going to constantly have little comments on your performance.”
It’s a lot for a young team, in other words, and the Pacers probably weren’t ready. Oddly, it was their most experienced player, the only guy on roster with an NBA title – Pascal Siakam – who made mistakes late in Games 1, 3 and 4. On Monday night, Siakam had two turnovers in the final 4:43.
It was also Nembhard who made mistakes late in Game 4, same as in Game 3, with two turnovers and a missed shot. In Nembhard’s case it’s difficult to be overly critical considering the way he played each of the last two games without Haliburton: He averaged 28 points, five rebounds and 9.5 assists, and was 22-for-39 from the floor (7-for-13 on 3-pointers).
How perfect is Nembhard supposed to be, you know? He helped get the Pacers into position to win each of the last two games. But he couldn’t finish the deal. Neither could his teammates. All that was left, after this four-game sweep, was respect paid on the court as Al Horford, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White sought out Nembhard, McConnell and other Pacers to offer congratulations on a well-played series.
And then came the postgame comments, with Holiday calling Nembhard “a dog” and saying it was “their whole team, really.”
Brown, the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals – he won the Larry Bird Trophy, go figure – also was complimentary afterward.
“Give credit to Indiana,” he said. “I thought they (were) as tough as anybody we’ve played all season. They were physical, they were fast, they put a lot of pressure on us. So, shoutout to them and respect to them.”
Brown meant what he said about the Pacers. So did Holiday. Does that make you feel better, after watching the Pacers control three games but get swept anyway? Not today, is my guess. Maybe tomorrow.
Well, maybe next week. It’s like Myles Turner was saying: This sour feeling is a little too fresh.
Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Twitter at@GreggDoyelStaror atwww.facebook.com/greggdoyelstar.
