BOSTON — The Cleveland Cavaliers have been the very best crew within the Jap Convention all season. However, similar to the Celtics fell to the Knicks on Monday evening, the Cavs dropped the primary recreation of the playoffs at house to a lower-seeded opponent, falling to the Indiana Pacers, 121-112.
It appeared that the Cavs had successfully bounced again in Recreation 2 — they led by 14 coming into the fourth quarter — however they collapsed down the stretch and dropped a second consecutive recreation to the Pacers.
Now, they discover themselves down 0-2 with the second-round collection headed again to Indiana.
The Celtics, who’re only a few hours away from their very own potential redemption recreation, mentioned what occurred in Tuesday’s recreation between the Pacers and the Cavs, and are utilizing the late-game occasions as a cautionary story.
“It’s a full 48-minute battle tonight,” Payton Pritchard mentioned at Wednesday’s shootaround. “We let off the throttle final recreation, up 20. We let that one slip. We are able to’t let stuff like that occur.”
The Celtics mentioned the Cavs late-game collapse forward of Recreation 2
The Cavs led the Pacers by 7 factors with 57 seconds to play when the sport started to show. Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith grabbed an offensive rebound on a Pascal Siakam missed free throw and dunked it house, then drew an offensive foul on Donovan Mitchell.
Andrew Nembhard then stole a Max Strus cross, and Tyrese Haliburton received fouled driving to the basket. Haliburton inadvertently missed the second free throw, however the Pacers recovered one more offensive board, setting the stage for the evening’s greatest second: a Haliburton step-back game-winner over Ty Jerome.
Tyrese Haliburton received his personal rebound off a missed free throw, hit the sport winner, then hit the “huge balls” celebration pic.twitter.com/hinZPqXNds
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) Could 7, 2025
The Celtics are drawing some classes from the Cavs’ poor late-game execution.
“The video games by no means over till it’s over,” Pritchard mentioned. “So you bought to care for the rock and even on a free throw field out — all of the little issues matter. We received to be taught from that and take it into this recreation.”
It’s not unusual for the Celtics to review key moments and performs from different video games. However, the loopy end in Cavs-Pacers proved notably related contemplating the Celtics discover themselves in what Pritchard described as a “must-win recreation” tonight.
“We all the time have a look at stuff throughout league — little performs, stuff that would come up in conditions for us,” he mentioned. “It’s simply preparation on the finish of the day. If we’re in a state of affairs like they have been in, we’re already ready.”
Nesmith’s key offensive rebound and putback reiterated the significance of crashing the glass on free throws, one thing that’s particularly related on this collection contemplating the Knicks have among the best offensive rebounders within the league in Josh Hart.
“A free throw field out, and if I’m not within the lane, I’m boxing exterior the three-point line. I gotta hit a man,” Pritchard mentioned. “Josh Hart, he would possibly crash laborious, so I gotta be ready to field him out in that state of affairs. “It’s little issues like that. You gotta simply be a scholar of the sport, and be taught, and hold rolling.”
Recreation 2 between the Celtics and the Knicks suggestions off on Wednesday at 7pm ET.
