It hasn’t been a great series to be a Pacers fan.
After looking like their team was well on their way to stealing a much-needed home win in Game 3 on Saturday night, Indiana surrendered an 18-point lead to the Boston Celtics and is now just one loss away from being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals.
According to ESPN NBA writer Tim Bontemps, the Pacers inability to finish earned them an unfortunate place in playoff history. Citing: “The Pacers are the 1st team to lose multiple games in a series after leading by at least 5 points in the final 2 minutes of the 4th quarter in the last 25 years.”
The game essentially ended on an Andrew Nembhard turnover in the final seconds that resulted from a questionable non-call on Celtics guard Jrue Holiday.
Nembhard had a terrific game in the absence of the injured Tyrese Haliburton, finishing with 32 points and nine assists in 39 minutes of action.
“I was trying to get a shot up,” Nembhard said of the sequence. “He got in front of me. I lost the ball, slipped. Turnover.”
Regardless, it’s a tough loss to stomach for anyone in Indiana right now.
The Pacers will try to keep this series alive in Game 4 on Monday night at 8 PM ET.