Indiana Pacers: 3 takeaways from Game 1 vs. Celtics

1. This game was closer than the box score shows

The Pacers’ halftime lead (and closing the 20-point deficit to 10 at the end of the game) show that they can still hang with this Boston team. In reality, they were one terrible shooting slump away from a Game 1 win.

The Celtics can celebrate this first win of the series, but certainly shouldn’t be proud of how they shot the ball. They made the most of a miserable third quarter from Indiana, but it was the only quarter of the four that the Celtics won outright.

Cory Joseph and Bojan Bogdanovic were the only Pacers to finish the game with double figures in scoring, and it’s rare that a team shoots below 35 percent in consecutive games. For as badly as Indiana shot the ball, it can still hang its hat on having one of the league’s best defenses, and can potentially replicate that effort on Wednesday.

For what it’s worth, nearly every Pacers player scored a basket, and the ability to come off the bench and contribute means something regardless of the score. Indiana can only build off of this poor performance and look to bounce back with more firepower in Game 2.