Pacers collapse down the stretch as Celtics sweep ECF

Derrick White made a game-winning three-pointer with 45 seconds left and the Boston Celtics held the Pacers scoreless for the final 3:33 of the game in a 104-101 win. 

Boston swept the series and advanced to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.

Indiana played tough but regularly made mistakes in the crunch in the conference finals. In Game 1, they committed two turnovers in the final minute and allowed a game-tying three-pointer from Jaylen Brown before losing in overtime. In Game 3, they were up five points with 1:13 to go and never scored again, turning the ball over with three second left.

Monday, Indiana couldn’t score late, turned the ball over and after forcing a miss, allowed Jrue Holiday to grab the offensive rebound in the final seconds. The Pacers couldn’t even figure out how to foul to stop the clock.

Brown won the Larry Bird trophy for the most valuable player of the Eastern Conference Finals. He led Boston with 29 points in Game 4, coming up with three steals, including a big one on Pascal Siakam with two minutes to go, right after he tied the game with a jumper.

Jayson Tatum played 43 minutes, including the last four with five fouls, and finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Jrue Holiday had 17 points and nine rebounds, including the game-sealing offensive board.

That was the difference in the series. The games were close, but the gap between how Boston’s stars performed in the clutch and the Pacers’ stars played was huge.