The Eastern Conference Championship was a sweep with the Celtics winning 4 – 0 over the Indiana Pacers.
Rightly too, Jaylen Brown got the MVP Trophy for the series
Bombo Radyo and Star FM’s reticence to laud the Indiana Pacers during the Championship Series is not out of bias for this team.
They are a first-class organization which time and time again we had lauded. In the case of the Pacers, they are the undisputed number 1 Offensive Team in the NBA and cannot be outgunned by the Celtics.
In a sense, rather than a sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals, Indiana should at least be on an EQUAL FOOTING WITH THE BOSTON CELTICS (2-2) maybe even be up (3-1) if they were more careful with their ball handling in the last quarters and have played deliberate basketball rather than remain with the run and gun play up to the closing minutes of the games in question.
The Pacers were sweep not because of lack of skills or team play but because have not yet developed the maturity and composure in this level of competition. Again, this would take consistency for basketball cannot be played and won in spurts in the first the quarters only but must be logically pursued to the end of the buzzer.
For years and more glaringly two years ago and last year, the Boston Celtics were very much in the same plight. On paper, the team have the stronger line-up in the competition played out in the Eastern Conference but were unable to advance to win the Eastern Conference Championship, frustrated by seemingly weaker teams (Milwaukee and Miami). They were not able to overcome yet the tendency to panic and lose their composure during very tight games, unable (some way unwilling) to close them.
This year they have not lost their heart. Not in Game 1 while staring at a three-point deficit with barely seconds to go and a decent defense put up by the Pacers. Or in the two other games were the Celtics have to overcome double digit leads by the Pacers to eventually win these games.
There will be other factors we can point, like the spotty officiating or that that Tyrese Haliburton would not play for Games 3 and 4. That would simply be nitpicking and not help planning the future of the team.
For indeed, the Pacers is a young team, who must try to learn from these setbacks to have a resilient character to close out games even if they are not ahead. That would be the next step. From the League’s acknowledged, most offensive minded team to hopefully soon, the Leagues, never say die team.
That we will look forward to.
