Pacers frustrated by close losses but see value in playoff run - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner was still filled with conflicting emotions in the aftermath of the Eastern Conference finals.

On one hand, Turner — the longest-tenured player on the team, having been drafted by Indiana in 2015 — called this season an incredible journey. After missing the playoffs the past three seasons, the Pacers won their first playoff series in more than a decade and reached the conference finals for the first time since 2014.

But the fact the Pacers had a fourth-quarter lead in three of their four losses to the Boston Celtics still stung as players left the arena Monday night after dropping Game 4 105-102 to complete a Boston series sweep.

«It's still very fresh for all of us,» Turner said. «Very frustrating to have all these games in your grasp and let it slip through.»

Indiana played the last two games without star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who was sidelined by a left hamstring injury, but the Pacers did not use his absence as an excuse. Especially because the Pacers knew they had an opportunity to win multiple games in the series.

The Pacers had at least a 90% win probability in the fourth quarter of Games 1, 3 and 4, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. They lost all three games.

They led 117-114 with the ball and 9 seconds left in Game 1. They were up 109-101 with 2:25 seconds left at home in Game 3. And again in Monday's Game 4, they were up 98-90 with 5:40 left but failed to score over the final 3:30.

«For a young team like us, this experience in the playoffs is second to none,» said Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, who finished with a team-high 24 points. «A lot of our first times. A lot of little things we maybe wanted to do better and we learned how these games go