Cardiac Celtics Part IV: They Tried to Break Me

I was hoping not to return, but here we are again for another “Cardiac Celtics” heart monitor recap, thanks to the sheer chaos we just witnessed.

The Boston Celtics seemed poised to lose their fourth straight Game 1 in as many Eastern Conference Finals appearances until a perfect storm turned the tide.

Boston narrowly escaped defeat and stunned the Indiana Pacers with a 133-128 overtime victory.

The outcome was so unlikely that many had already written their obituaries online. Tim Bontemps from ESPN summed it up succinctly:

Indiana is on the verge of winning this game. What a 48 hours for this Pacers team. Absolutely remarkable.

Sets the single-game FG% record Sunday in a road Game 7, then shoots 66% from 2-pt range tonight to, with one successful inbounds and FTs, go up 1-0 on the road in Boston.

Here's how it happened and how my heart took it:

The Celtics started strong, much like in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Miami Heat, with a 12-0 run that had the TD Garden buzzing. My heart rate was a calm 58 beats per minute (bpm).

However, Indiana quickly closed the gap by the end of the first quarter, reducing Boston's lead to just three points. The teams battled fiercely until halftime, keeping my heart rate in the high 50s and low 60s bpm. Tyrese Haliburton's buzzer-beater tied the game at halftime, pushing my heart rate to 63 bpm.

A tense 15-minute halftime break watching Chris Paul and the gang on ESPN pushed my heart rate up to 70 bpm.

Despite a rocky start to the third quarter, the Celtics built a 13-point lead with just over four minutes left, which had me somewhat relaxed at 64 bpm.

This lead felt like the calm before the storm on a rollercoaster. Indiana nearly erased the deficit by the end of the third quarter, capped by another Haliburton bomb, prompting many remote-spiking moments.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair. Both teams exchanged runs, increasing my heart rate to 73 bpm. With 4:34 left, the Pacers extended their lead to four points, pushing my heart rate to a game-high 90 bpm.

After more jockeying, Derrick White and Al Horford hit crucial threes, but Indiana responded with mid-range jumpers from Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard. I thought the game was over, my heart rate dropping to a dejected 72 bpm. But I was wrong.

Boston fought back with a Jrue Holiday basket, a stop, and Jaylen Brown's two clutch free throws, spiking my heart rate to 82 bpm. Indiana's Nembhard scored his team's final basket of regulation, making it 117-114.

With the Celtics down three, Jayson Tatum missed a wide-open shot, but they got another chance after the Pacers turned it over. White missed a floater, and Tatum missed a rushed fadeaway, leaving me at 86 bpm, dreading the "Celtics can't win close games" narrative.

Then, Jaylen Brown hit a tough corner three to tie the game, earning a "Double Bang" from ESPN’s Mike Breen. Haliburton's final shot in regulation missed, sending the game to overtime.

Overtime was messy. Indiana missed six of eight shots, and the Celtics had their own missteps, but Tatum's six straight points sealed the victory. My heart rate spiked to 85 bpm after a turnover but settled as the game ended.

After months of "Celtics can't win close playoff games" talk, they proved otherwise. They stole a game they had no business winning, reminiscent of the legendary Celtics teams of the 1980s. This Game 1 victory over the Pacers feels special, with the rollercoaster ride adding to the drama.

For more heart monitor updates throughout the playoffs, follow me on Twitter @SamLaFranceNBA. Let’s hope we don’t need another one of these recaps anytime soon.