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The Indiana Pacers didn’t perform at their best this season against the Boston Celtics, but the depth of their roster – and the performance during the final minutes – was enough for them to win a game that turned out to be closer than expected.
Against all odds, the Pacers were at times dominated by a depleted Celtics team that wasn’t a good matchup for Indiana on paper. The addition of Evan Turner – who ended up sparking the Pacers’ offense in the final quarter when nobody else wanted to step it up – only made them an even more dangerous team and despite the fact that Indiana won the game by a slim 102-97 score, there are several things they can’t allow to happen again on playoff time.
The Celtics managed to score several points from behind the three-point line, a trend that has been repeating constantly against Indiana in recent weeks. Boston also topped the Pacers in fast-break points and in the assists total as the hosts shared the ball better and they were also very creative with their scoring in the second half.
Luckily for Indiana, Turner and Paul George were there to save the day. Turner finished with 17 points off the bench and George added 25 points and eight rebounds, including some clutch buckets in the final minutes that put the game out of reach for Boston.
It wasn’t the prettiest win but the Pacers ultimately got the job done. However, they will need to improve as the postseason is getting closer and today’s effort is simply not going to cut it against better teams.
Juan Pablo Aravena is a sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jparavenarant or add him to your network on Google.
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