In front of a bigger audience and eager fanbase, Indiana Pacers begin their ascent

The Pacers had a statement win on Monday night

INDIANAPOLIS — Gainbridge Fieldhouse felt different on Monday night. The Indiana Pacers were set to host the Boston Celtics in the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament Quarterfinal game, and there was a trip to Vegas, pride, and money on the line.

The Pacers were playing on their cerulean court, something they had already done twice for In-Season Tournament Group Play outings. The franchise upped the atmosphere last night, though, by putting a yellow towel over every seat in the arena. It had the In-Season Tournament logo on it, and it made the building feel more ceremonial. The game was on TNT as well as local broadcast channels, so there was a larger-than-normal media presence at the game.

National television. Nearly 17,000 fans. A colorful court, and even brighter towels waving everywhere. It wasn't a playoff game on Monday night, but it felt like one.

"It feels definitely like a playoff game. I've been juiced up for this game the last two days," Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith, who has played in the NBA Finals before, said prior to the game. "I think everybody in this locker room, every part of the organization is juiced up for this one."

Veteran guard T.J. McConnell agreed. He said that the towels on the seats brought it all together and created the perfect environment. "It's good for this group to get a taste like that because that's where we're aspiring to go," he said of the playoff-like atmosphere.

Pacers players have made their postseason goals clear this season. They're tired of losing, something star guard Tyrese Haiburton has said often. They want to make the ascent from growing, young team to postseason maintainstay.

Entering the night, they were 10-8 and had some impressive wins mixed with some uninspiring losses. It was hard to grasp exactly what the Pacers were. Their top rated offense allows them to beat anyone, but their near-the-bottom defense makes it equally likely to lose on any given night. Can a team like that win in a postseason atmosphere? Can they grow up and be their best on a national stage? Those questions hadn't, and couldn't, be answered yet.

Opposite the Pacers was the Celtics, who walked in holding the best record, and net rating, in the NBA. They stomped Indiana by 51 points in early November. Boston is as tough as it comes in terms of a matchup for the blue and gold. They've been to the finals and have a top-tier player in Jayson Tatum. They are consistent every night  — the antithesis of the 2023-24 Pacers.

"We're playing the best team in basketball," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said before the game.

This version of the Pacers had not played in a game like this yet. They've played in some meaningful regular season games, but nothing with stakes against a high-level opponent. They were finally going to have a chance to show that, with the bright lights on and everybody watching, they could play their best basketball and compete with the best of the best.

The tip off hadn't even occurred and it was clear that this game was going to be different. The boos during Celtics player introductions were loud. "De-fense" chants from the crowd began on the very first possession. Every foul call against the Pacers was a slight against humanity, at least according to the onlookers. 

It was a playoff score, too. After one quarter, it was 24-22. That sounds like a typical NBA game, but with the Pacers holding the NBA's best offense and the worst defense, their typical first quarter looks something like 33-31. Not in this game.

Instead, everything was more laborious. The largest advantage of the first half was just nine points. Neither team could create separation despite an off night inside the arc from Indiana and a poor outing from deep for Boston. That style should have favored the Celtics and their experience.

Not on this night.

The Pacers were ready for the task at hand. Every Celtics run was met with a big defensive play from Nesmith or a brilliant offensive moment from Haliburton. Sharpshooter Buddy Hield kept wiggling free. Veteran center Myles Turner made plays all night. Newcomers Bruce Brown and Obi Toppin showed exactly why Indiana acquired them. Not one soul looked out of place or ill-prepared for the blue and gold.

"The substitutions, the possessions, certainly the atmosphere. That had playoffs written all over it," McConnell said postgame. Haliburton, for example, played over 40 minutes in this game.

Even with all eyes on them, the Pacers were not afraid of the moment. The Celtics flexed their muscles and closed the first half on a 12-2 run, putting them up seven at the break. It was the first substantial run of the night, and one that could have killed the energy for some young teams.

Not the Pacers. It took them less than four minutes of the third quarter to make it a one-possession game again. Haliburton took off, scoring more points in that span than he did in the first half. It was time for him, and the upstart Pacers, to make it happen.

With just under five minutes to go in the third quarter, Haliburton hit a floater in the lane that got him to 17 points and put his team back in front at 73-71. Before the ball even left his hands, teammate Ben Sheppard lept up off the bench in celebration. He knew the shot was dropping, and he was eager to provide energy.

That was a contagious feeling. The Pacers, and the crowd, were vivacious — having the fans become a part of the game was crucial for the blue and gold. "I haven't seen this place like this in three or four years," Turner said. He's been with the Pacers for his entire career, including five playoff runs.

Energy alone wasn't going to be enough. The Celtics are talented and have been in situations like this before. Many of the players on their roster won a road game in Golden State during the 2022 NBA Finals. They weren't scared of the moment. Indiana had to outplay them.

With 4:19 to go in the game, Boston reclaimed an advantage at 99-98. They had been slowly cutting into the Indiana lead during the final frame, and it felt inevitable that they would complete their comeback eventually. It was up to the young Pacers to respond.

It was the perfect moment for a young team like Indiana, and a young player like Haliburton, to put themselves on the map. In front of a larger audience than normal — both on TV and in person — and going against a title favorite, the All-Star point guard responded and hit a three 19 seconds later to give Indiana the lead again.

They never gave it back. The Celtics tied the game three more times in the final minutes, but Indiana was always poised and had an answer. The difference in experience, and talent, didn't matter. The ascending Pacers took off when it mattered.

The slow crescendo of the final 90 seconds brought it all home. With the game tied at 105 and 1:33 on the clock, Haliburton rose for a deep three at the top of the key and was fouled. He drilled it, and Gainbridge Fieldhouse erupted.

Half a minute later, Hield found space and canned a triple on a pass from Haliburton. Before the crowd even calmed down, Turner tipped a steal away, and Nesmith dunked it on the other end. Indiana led by nine with 44 seconds to go. They were going to win and go to Las Vegas for the Semifinals.

The final score was 122-112. 93 unbelievable seconds on a big stage made it happen for the Pacers. They showed what they can be at their best, and they did it in front of a substantial audience.

"It feels good. Good to win, especially in a game where nobody expected us to. You don't play on national TV if you don't win games," Haliburton said about 15 minutes after the final buzzer. He finished with his first career triple double — 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists.

He, and the rest of the Pacers, have been dying for that opportunity. They've felt overlooked all season and wanted to prove that they aren't a fluke. Their 11-8 record, and their wins over Milwaukee, Cleveland, Miami, and Philadelphia meant something. Sure, their inconsistency was frustrating, even internally. But they knew the peak was high, and they wanted to prove it.

They did, and the Pacers ascent has officially started. "That's all we're about right now is changing how this organization is viewed and how we are, as players, viewed," Haliburton said postgame. They did all that and more on Monday night, and they can continue to prove it in Las Vegas.

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• Indiana Pacers first-round picks Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard assigned to G League for playing time. CLICK HERE.
• Obi Toppin is improving as a three-point shooter for the Indiana Pacers thanks to a focus on balance and rhythm. CLICK HERE.
• Steven Rales purchases 15% of Indiana Pacers from Herbert Simon, now owns 20% of the team pending NBA approval. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers take down Boston Celtics to move on to In-Season Tournament Semifinals. CLICK HERE.
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