51-Point Slaughter of the Indiana Pacers

At the start of the second quarter, the Boston Celtics made their usual substitutions. In contrast, the Indiana Pacers replaced only two starters, sending three starters back onto the court alongside two reserves.

This was the Indiana Pacers head coach's usual approach—running his starting five into the ground.

In the previous series, the starting five had averaged as much as 43 minutes per game. There was no helping it; whether it was the Miami Heat or the current Boston Celtics, both teams were stronger than them. If they did not fight desperately, they simply had no chance of winning.

In the first round against the Miami Heat, they had battled through a full seven-game series before advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals!

Right from the opening, without Goodwin guarding him, Paul George moved like a fish in water. In just over four minutes, he drove and shot his way to 8 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists, leading the Indiana Pacers on a 16:8 run that cut the deficit to just 3 points.

Although the lead had been cut to 3, Coach Jack was not worried in the slightest. After all, the difference in their overall strength was right there.

Still, Coach Jack checked the clock and felt the time was about right. The starters had rested enough as well.

Originally, he had planned to call a timeout and use the opportunity to send the starters back in.

But just then, Paul Pierce on the court knocked down a tough three-pointer, making Coach Jack change his mind.

The ball traced a beautiful arc through the air.

With a swish, Paul Pierce's three-pointer dropped cleanly through the hoop, instantly pushing the gap back to 6 points.

"Damn it!" Paul George could not help cursing. They had worked so hard to claw