8:09 PM ET
Tim BontempsESPN
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.– The Indiana Pacers find themselves on the brink of elimination after losing 124-115 to the Miami Heat on Saturday afternoon to fall back 3-0 in their best-of-seven first-round series.
A significant consider the defeat was that the Heat went to the free throw line a shocking 52 times, consisting of 20 journeys for Heat forward Jimmy Butler alone. The Pacers went 28 times.
” I cant describe that,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said after the game. “I indicate, 52 complimentary tosses is outrageous. They had 24 at the half, Butler shoots 20 of them … this is the playoffs, and I thought a few of those calls were … I cant describe it.”
1 RelatedIndiana is one loss far from being swept in the preliminary for the second straight year and for the third time in 4 years. It likewise would be the teams 5th straight first-round exit from the playoffs.
When the Pacers were down 18 at halftime, it looked like if they were going to merely roll over without much of a battle.
However then, after the group had a discussion in the locker space, the Pacers came out in the 2nd half with a far better effort, closing to within four points after three quarters, prior to ultimately losing a nip and tuck game with poor execution down the stretch.
” At that point, you have nothing to lose,” Pacers guard Victor Oladipo stated of the groups approach in the second half. “It was either, Make something occur or get humiliated. Among the 2. We did a great task of combating and getting ourselves into the game. Unfortunately, a lot of things occurred, you understand what Im saying? Unfortunately, I tore my quad. None of this wouldnt have actually happened if not for corona.
You can make excuses, you can blame everyone or you can just figure it out. In the 2nd half, we did a better job of just figuring it out. We came up short, certainly, however we have to have that same mindset in the next video game and go out there and do the difficult.
It will certainly take something special for Indiana to end up being the first string to ever return from a 3-0 deficit and win an NBA playoff series.
Doing so, however, will need Indiana to be much more disciplined than it was on Saturday. The Heat– and Butler in particular– had the ability to wear a path walking to and from the totally free throw line.
The distinction between Miamis made free throws (43) and made basket (34) is the biggest this season, consisting of both regular-season and playoff games; and it was the largest difference in a playoff video game given that the Los Angeles Lakers had 12 more complimentary tosses than basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012.
Given that 2000, it was the sixth-most complimentary throws tried by one team in a playoff game that ended in regulation. The other five all included players who are infamously bad free throw shooters the challenger would desire to send out to the line, such as Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan, Ben Wallace and Shaquille ONeal.
” I cant discuss that,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said after the video game. “I indicate, 52 complimentary throws is ridiculous. We did a great task of combating and getting ourselves into the video game. We came up short, clearly, however we have to have that very same mentality in the next video game and go out there and do the difficult.” That assists you manage the pace and the tenor of the video game,” Spoelstra said of repeatedly getting to the foul line.
” Yeah, theres certainly an inconsistency out there on how many totally free tosses they shot versus us” Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon said. “I do not understand if thats a mix of the refs, us not being aggressive enough, whatever.
” But that needs to alter.”
One individual who didnt see an issue was Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
” That assists you manage the pace and the tenor of the video game,” Spoelstra said of repeatedly getting to the nasty line. “So when they would go on runs and acquire some interest, Jimmy would discover a way or Bam [Adebayo] or whoever would discover a method to get to the complimentary throw line, which simply helps you settle things, and thats a fantastic ability that we do not take for given.
” In a playoff game, to be able to have 20 complimentary toss attempts [from Jimmy]– and those were all accidents. If hes flopping his way to the line, its not as. Hes putting his body in there and drawing contact and making you need to make the call.”
