It was poor shooting, obviously, that cost the Pacers their Game 1 opportunity, but it's the reasons behind the poor shooting that have to be corrected if they are to win their opening-round playoff series with Boston.
Namely, playoff-caliber poise and halfcourt execution.
The Pacers took optimism, energy, and defense to TD Garden on Sunday, but that's not enough when your shooting eye goes awry. The Pacers shot just 33 percent from the field, 22 percent from 3-point range and 57 percent from the foul line, and as long as the winners of basketball games are determined by point totals, that won't be good enough.