For the third time in four games, the Boston Celtics erased it. Boston rallied from an 89-82 fourth-quarter deficit Monday night to secure a 105-102 win over the Pacers for a second comeback in two games in Indianapolis.
The win secures a 4-0 Eastern Conference finals win for the Celtics and a spot in the NBA Finals. Boston will take on the winner between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves for the NBA championship. The Mavericks hold a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference finals and have a chance to secure their own series sweep at home Tuesday night.
Boston trailed for most of the fourth quarter before tying the game at 102-102 on a Jaylen Brown floater. Then Derrick White secured the first Celtics lead of the quarter on a 3-pointer with 43.9 seconds remaining.
Over the last 3:32, the Pacers went 0-4 from the field and turned the ball over twice. Andrew Nembhard’s last-gasp 3-point attempt to match White’s missed the mark with 32.1 seconds remaining. Jayson Tatum secured the rebound for the Celtics, and Indiana never possessed the ball again.
For the Pacers, the conclusion signaled ultimate heartbreak in a series filled with frustration. They led Game 1 in Boston 115-110 in the final two minutes before losing in overtime. They led Saturday’s Game 3 at home by 18 points, but blew a nine-point fourth-quarter lead in a 114-11 Celtics win.
