'When this playoff series ends — and it will end soon, perhaps Sunday in Game 4 — (the Pacers) will have nobody to blame but themselves,' GreggDoyelStar of IndyStarSports writes.
CLOSE SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt breaks down how the Celtics and Raptors were able to win in Game 3 and what they have to do next. USA TODAY Sports
Just one starter, Collison, is shooting 40% or better on the series — he’s at 43.8% — and none of the five is scoring at his season average. And let’s expand that fivesome by one and include Sixth Man of the Year candidate Domantas Sabonis, who has disappeared against the Celtics. After setting a franchise record by shooting 59% from the floor this season — averaging 14.1 points and 9.3 rebounds — Sabonis is shooting 30% in three games against the Celtics and averaging 6.7 points and 7.
"You watch how they’re playing," Collison said. "It all comes down to execution. They’re using each other, they’re running their sets. Different guys are having their moment within the offense. When they run their play set, the plays aren’t for any one individual. It’s for the whole team. That’s something we can take away for ourselves."
On Friday night, the Pacers had just one guy who could make a jump shot. It was Tyreke Evans, of all people, and with 5½ minutes to play and the Celtics leading 91-87, he came out of the game. By the time Evans returned, the Celtics led 102-94, there were 47.9 seconds to play, and thousands of Indiana fans wearing "Gold Don’t Quit" T-shirts were doing just that and heading for the exits.
But Evans was the one keeping the Pacers in the game, playing the way he plays — with no discernible conscious — and seeing it work because he was making his shots. In Game 3, it was the third quarter again. The Pacers scored just 12 points and had to get hot to do that, having scored just three points in the first six minutes. By the time the period was over, the Celtics led 80-73 and never trailed again.
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