The final leg of conference games has kicked off with the Indiana Pacers taking on the Boston Celtics in the ECF. It was a hard-fought battle that the Celtics probably didn’t see coming their way especially based on the run they’ve had so far. While the Celtics held the Pacers away from a lead for most of the matchup, the latter had a chance to close out Game 1 with a victory. However, a poor sequence of decision-making cost them an early lead.
The Pacers managed to hit a three-pointer with 46 seconds left on the game clock. With this three-point lead, Indiana somehow managed to keep the Celtics away from scoring until the clock dwindled to 4 seconds. Jaylen Brown countered with a game-tying three-pointer of his own to send the game into overtime. And the Celtics eventually won during those extra minutes.
And yall still wanna know why I would foul up 3 EVERY SINGLE TIME?? 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 22, 2024
LeBron James chimed in on the action after the game concluded by saying this on X, “And y’all still wanna know why I would foul up 3 EVERY SINGLE TIME??” James believes that the Pacers could have fouled Brown before the three-point attempt and let the Celtics trail by two regardless. The Pacers would have still been up by 1 but with a much higher chance of securing the win.
Rick Carlisle takes full responsibility for the Pacers’ Game 1 loss
But it seems like coach Rick Carlisle holds himself accountable for how the Pacers managed the final seconds of the game. During the post-game press conference, Carlisle took the blame for the Pacers loss. He said, “This loss is totally on me. With 10 seconds in regulation, we should’ve just taken the timeout, advanced the ball, found a way to get it in, made a free throw or two, and ended the game.”
“This loss is totally on me. With 10 seconds in regulation, we should’ve just taken the timeout, advanced the ball, found a way to get it in, made a free throw or two, and ended the game.”
Coach Rick Carlisle following the Game 1 loss pic.twitter.com/2h69Yn2WFg
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 22, 2024
He added, “But um… 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.” This is a learning experience for the Pacers but it certainly wasn’t the right time for it to happen. But there was another takeaway from this game, it’s that the Pacers are a massive threat offensively. Seven players, including two from their bench recorded double-digits in scoring.
“Fouling up three” was ironically addressed by LeBron James on a recent podcast episode
It is quite ironic that LeBron James addressed fouling an opponent while up by three during a recent episode of Mind the Game featuring JJ Reddick. These two individuals always break down scenarios and sequences to help their audience understand the nature of the game in real time. James also addressed the importance of fouling up three, a tactic that he often gets called out for.
“So you’re up by three, is it under 24 seconds left in the game? Do we have a timeout? What are some of the cases?” James said these are the scenarios that have to be looked out for while maneuvering the tactic. He based it off a Knicks vs 76ers playoff game where the former were also up by three but failed to foul the Sixers which led to a game-tying three-pointer.
.@KingJames and @jj_redick broke down the strategy of fouling up three on Episode 7 👇 pic.twitter.com/8qRIgXz6pQ
— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) May 22, 2024
James claimed that every time a team fouls up three, they have to do it either before the opposition crosses half-court or on the down dribble, just to ensure they don’t give away too many attempts. This is something the Pacers could have seriously followed but it ultimately came down to how they adjusted to the pressure in the heat of the moment.