Pacers finish off Bucks with phenomenal 40 seconds, advance to Eastern Conference semis against Cavs
The Pacers played nowhere near a solid 48 minutes, but they stepped up for a magical final 40 seconds in overtime to steal a Game 5 win and dispatch with the Bucks, once again.
Tyrese Haliburton drove past Giannis Antetokounmpo for a layup with 1.3 seconds remaining in overtime to complete an 8-0 run by the Pacers in the final 40 seconds which sealed up a sudden 119-118 win for the Pacers.
Improbable shot, improbable finish, improbable comeback. Game 5 over, series over, the Fieldhouse was on fire. A moment in high stakes Pacers lore that will be remembered for years and years to come.
The finish was so phenomenal, it wiped out the memory of a horrid start which saw the Pacers down 30-13 after one quarter, appearing resigned to try to finish the series in Game 6 or 7. The Bucks altered their starting lineup, adding both Juniors and AJ Green and Bobby Portis. The energy boost worked wonders, delivering an early haymaker to the Pacers.
For the game, Green and Gary Trent Jr. combined to make 14 3-balls. And while the Pacers cut the lead to 6 by halftime and then take a 52-51 lead early in the third quarter, the Bucks continued to hit big shots to make mini runs and assume control as the game went back and forth in the second half. TJ McConnell scored 18 points in 17 minutes which included a critical stretch spanning the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth quarter. The Bucks went on a 7-0 run after McConnell exited, but eventually battled back.
Giannis put the Bucks up by four points with less than a minute to play in regulation, but Tyrese Haliburton scored four points, including a drive and dunk to tie the game with 10 seconds to go. Giannis had the game in his hands, but opted for a baseline fade away over Myles Turner that bounced at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
Tyrese Haliburton opened the OT time with a 3-ball to give the Pacers an early lead, but Trent Jr. made three 3-balls before the Pacers could respond with an Aaron Nesmith three off a timeout set. Why did the Pacers run a play for Nesmith instead of Haliburton? Well, Haliburton had missed three consecutive 3PAs at that time. He missed six shots including 4 3PAs total after making his first try in OT.
The game seemed to be over when Nesmith had to foul AJ Green with 40 seconds remaining and the Bucks up six pending the sharp shooters free throws. So much had to happen in those final 40 ticks to get to the point where the Pacers celebrated a win and it started with Green missing one of his two FTAs.
Andrew Nembhard pushed the ball up the court, crossed behind a Turner screen and drained a 28-foot 3-ball. Lead down to four, the Bucks tried to inbound the ball but had to call timeout Bucks with 32 seconds remaining. Both teams had two timeouts heading into OT and the Pacers already used their two. This one left the Bucks with one timeout, so the extended pressure forcing the timeout was another detail that played a big role in the final outcome.
After advancing the ball, the Bucks appeared set to inbound the ball and absorb a Pacers foul to put them at the line. Instead, the Pacers played straight up, doubling Trent Jr. on the inbounds pass. Trent looked for help and passed the ball to Green, but Nembhard rotated over from the backcourt and zipped in to steal the pass and send the ball heading the other way.
At the other end, Haliburton worked on Green, driving by him to get to the rim where he was fouled and made the layup. A day later, the ref report revealed Green should not have been called for a foul, but since that didn’t change the fact that Haliburton made the free throw to cut the lead to one point with 17 seconds remaining.
Milwaukee used their last timeout to advance the ball which turned out to be another little detail that went the Pacers way. For defense, Carlisle subbed in Jarace Walker for Pascal Siakam since the Pacers would likely have to foul at some point and Siakam had 5 fouls. Again, the Pacers didn’t foul immediately, although it appeared Walker was ready to take a foul on Green when he pass the ball to Trent Jr. who appeared to look up to see where the defense was coming from and fumbled the ball between his legs and out of bounds.
Pacers ball and suddenly the Fieldhouse was buzzing with hope after most had already planned their exit. Siakam quickly returned for offense but there were no timeouts left so offense and defense had to adjust on the fly. The Pacers put the ball in Haliburton’s hands and he danced with it while Giannis guarded him on the perimeter. After feigning left, Haliburton used his long cross over dribble to begin a drive down the middle of the lane. Giannis was in chase, but having already appeared to be exhausted, the big man couldn’t catchup to defend Haliburton at the rim.
Haliburton hung in the air briefly before realizing he was cleared to lay the ball off glass to give the Pacers a one point lead with 1.3 seconds remaining. With no timeouts, the Bucks were in a scramble drill just to get the ball inbounds with the Pacers chasing them all over the backcourt. The ball made it Trent Jr.’s hand 75 feet from the hoop and his desperation heave fell harmlessly nowhere near the hoop.
The Fieldhouse was in a frenzy of pure joy and absolute astonishment. Did everyone really just witness what just happened? It felt far more like a dream sequence. The players celebrated like crazy, with Haliburton jumping on the scorers table and other pods of players jumping in joyous group hugs on the floor.
Haliburton’s dad, John also went crazy, going on the court and confronting Giannis with some ill-advised trash talk. Giannis eventually shut him down and then later put his hand on Bennedict Mathurin while saying something in his ear. Strange and weird ending to a highly contentious series which was the 20th game between the two teams over the past 18 months. For the record, the Pacers are 13-7 in those games while winning all of the important games in the playoffs and IST.
No one will remember the madness after the game, although it seems like John Haliburton should enjoy one of the Fieldhouse suites instead of his baseline courtside seat going forward. Regardless, the series of events that had to happen in the final 40 seconds for the Pacers to erase a 7-point lead and win the game won’t be forgotten.
The Pacers now get their shot at the top team in the East when they tip off the Eastern Conference semis against the Cavs in Cleveland on Sunday. After winning 50 regular season games and earning a firs round playoff series win, the Pacers are in an underdog role once, again which often suits them well. Both teams will be plenty rested and ready to go on Sunday. Another chance to enjoy this incredible season the Pacers have put together thus far.
An if there is any time on the clock, don’t count ‘em out.
Here is the schedule for Pacers vs. Cavaliers:
Game 1 - Sunday, May 4 at Cleveland
Game 2 - Tuesday, May 6 at Cleveland
Game 3 - Friday, May 9 at Fieldhouse
Game 4 - Sunday, May 11 at Fieldhouse
Game 5 - Tuesday, May 13 at Cleveland (if necessary)
Game 6 - Thursday, May 15 at Fieldhouse (if necessary)
Game 7 Sunday, May 18 at Cleveland (if necessary)