The Indiana Pacers’ struggles to close out games have been well documented. They lost 15 games by five points or less during the regular season, mostly due to poor execution and being careless with the ball with logic-defying turnovers.
So, you couldn’t blame Pacers fans if they were nervous about the outcome of Game 1 as the bench unit went the first 5 minutes of the fourth quarter without a field goal. Fans had seen this movie on a seemingly endless loop, like repeatedly watching “A Christmas Story” on Christmas Day. Fortunately, the Pacers had their own Red Ryder BB gun in the form of Paul George.