The Indiana Pacers took full advantage of the hand they were dealt in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Their first-round opponent, the Milwaukee Bucks, was without Giannis Antetokounmpo for the entire series. Damian Lillard also missed two games because of an Achilles injury and Khris Middleton battled an ankle sprain.
In the Eastern Conference semifinals, they faced an even more banged-up New York Knicks squad. Julius Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic were already out before the series began. Mitchell Robinson was ruled out after Game 1. In Game 2, Jalen Brunson hurt his foot and OG Anunoby strained his hamstring.
Brunson was able to play through the injury, but Anunoby was not. His only appearance in the rest of the series was five minutes at the start of Game 7. Josh Hart also suffered an abdominal strain in Game 6 that hampered his performance.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Indiana Pacers were catching another break. The Boston Celtics have been without Kristaps Porzingis, a key part of their game plan on both ends of the court.
They had golden opportunities to take control of the series. In Game 1, they inexplicably blew the game with horrible late-game management. Late-game turnovers and Rick Carlisle not using timeouts doomed them.
Indiana had a chance to steal Game 1 on the road but couldn’t capitalize, losing 133-128 in overtime after Jaylen Brown hit a tough game-tying 3-pointer with 6.0 seconds remaining. That was only the beginning of the late-game meltdowns for the Pacers.
As shared by The Sporting News, the Indiana Pacers had a 90+ percent chance of winning in three of the four games. They took advantage of zero of them, instead getting swept by the Celtics, who have advanced to the NBA Finals.
Two of those losses came without Tyrese Haliburton in the lineup, as he dealt with a hamstring injury. Andrew Nembhard stepped up big time in his absence, but he had late-game miscues several times. As did Haliburton, who dribbled the ball out of bounds in Game 1 to turn the momentum in Boston’s favor.
Given the expectations for the Indiana Pacers coming into the season, the 2023-24 campaign was a massive success. But how it ended will certainly leave a sour taste in their mouth as the opportunity to put real pressure on the Celtics was there for the taking.
Do you want the latest news, updates, and rumors surrounding all sports? Click here. Make sure to check out our sister sites as well: NFL Analysis Network, NBA Analysis Network, Packers Coverage.
