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Pacers blow Game 1 to Celtics due to an avoidable mistake
Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) and guard Tyrese Haliburton (0). Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Pacers blow Game 1 to Celtics due to an avoidable mistake

On a recent episode of their "Mind the Game" podcast, LeBron James and JJ Redick implored coaches to foul when up three in the waning seconds of a ball game. 

Their rant resulted from the Knicks choosing not to foul Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey in Game 5 of their first-round series. Maxey would make the Knicks pay by sending the game to overtime en route to the Sixers' 112-106 win.

The Pacers were in the same position Tuesday night. Up three with 8.3 seconds left in regulation, Indiana had the option of fouling a Celtics player. Instead, it allowed Jaylen Brown to sink a corner three. 

Granted the Pacers had 5.1 seconds to get a go-ahead bucket, they put themselves in a hole that could have been easily avoided. 

One could argue that Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla drew up a precise inbound play that got Brown the ball in the corner (Jrue Holiday with the assist). However, the Pacers could have been more attentive on defense and prevented the sequence only if they were more aggressive about fouling.

After the game, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle took accountability for the loss, but not for allowing Brown to get up the three. Instead, he rued not calling a timeout with 10 seconds left in regulation. By not doing so, the Pacers committed a turnover that gave the Celtics a chance to tie the game in the first place.

"This loss is totally on me," Carlisle told reporters. "With 10 seconds in regulation, we should’ve just taken the timeout, advanced the ball, found a way to get in, made a free throw or two and ended the game, but it didn't happen, and we made some other mistakes, but our guys just need to concentrate on fighting the way they fought in this game from start to finish, and we'll be back Thursday."

Despite Tuesday's heartbreaking loss, the Pacers have ample reason to be upbeat going into Thursday's Game 2. They entered Game 1 as -9.5 underdogs and were one error away from taking a 1-0 lead. 

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