What the Indiana Pacers lost in the In-Season Tournament Finals they gained in experience
LAS VEGAS — The Indiana Pacers lost. They reached the In-Season Tournament Finals, but they came up short, dropping the title game 123-109 to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Pacers made it clear before the finals that despite the attention and praise they earned all week, they didn't come that far just to come that far. They really wanted the hardware.
They came up short. "We're sick, frustrated. We just got outplayed tonight from the start of the game to the end of the game," Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton said after the game. This was the biggest night of his NBA career to date.
Emotions like that are exactly what should be felt by professionals. The Pacers are an ascending NBA team, they want to be able to win games like that one. Indiana truly believes they can beat anybody, and losing a game on the biggest stage didn't help them prove that.
But those feelings are exactly why this loss, and this experience of the In-Season Tournament, will be remembered as nothing but positive for the Pacers. They'll learn more from this than they could have in any regular season setting.
Las Vegas was ready for the In-Season Tournament and the Pacers. There was In-Season Tournament signage everywhere, and there's always something going on in the Entertainment Capital of the World. T-Mobile Arena had a bright blue and red court to go with some dramatic theater lighting. The games were broadcast on ESPN. It was a big production, setting up a larger stage than anything Indiana had ever played on. The tournament itself created a win-or-go-home setting that the blue and gold were facing for the first time as a team.
The Lakers only added to the fanfare in the title game. They are the most popular team in the league and roster the league's most popular player. LA brings attention, and challenges. LeBron James and company are very talented and are a difficult test for any young team.
The day before the game, there was a packed media day. Pacers players were getting constant attention and fielding questions about the moment they were in. On gameday, they had to face their emotions — it was the biggest game of their season, after all.
"You can feel the jitters, you can feel the excitement," Pacers guard Buddy Hield said before the game. In perhaps the most fitting moment to display how much different this game was than the Pacers typical outing, as Hield took his warm up threes during opposing player introductions — something he always does — the arena was rocking, and the lights were brighter than normal. A normally serene moment for Hield was grand.
"You know it's big. You feel it. There's no hiding... you've got to embrace it," Hield added.
All of these things are valuable experiences for Indiana. Despite reaching this stage with their talent, they are a young team. Of the nine players who were in the Pacers playing rotation Saturday night, five of them are on rookie-scale contracts. They are still a developing team thinking long-term.
Having an opportunity to play on the biggest stage — one with nerves, a hostile crowd, ESPN announcers and viewers, and with stakes — is something the Pacers craved. It will help their growth to know how to handle their emotions in situations like that in the future. In that way, despite the pain of a loss, they still have a gain of experience.
The game itself was a teaching moment. It was a playoff atmosphere, and that impacts how the game is played. It was slower paced, Indiana's average seconds per possession was slower than average, and the Lakers seconds per possession was longer than Indiana's opponent average. Stars searched for contact, there were 58 total fouls. The rotations are shorter — Lakers star Anthony Davis played over 40 minutes, Haliburton was over 35. The basketball itself was a different variety than the Pacers were used to before this week.
The emotions were high. Many foul calls were met with grand reactions. Fans were chanting often. Players were frustrated with missed shots and errors on a possession-by-possession basis. They couldn't forgive themselves as easily for messing up on the biggest stage, even as the Pacers made too many errors all night.
"This was a championship game. Everybody wanted to win. Everybody wanted to cement their names in history as the first team to win the tournament," Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith said after the game. "So it sucks. It sucks and it hurts."
Indiana plays again on Monday when they resume regular season play. They only have about 45 hours to process their emotions and get back out there. Maybe that's good. Maybe it isn't. But those two days where the Pacers have to sit with their frustrations will help them.
They'll remember how they fell right now the next time they have a big game. When the playoffs come, should they make it, they'll recall how they prepared for two big games in Las Vegas. Memories of what they did in triumph and defeat now exist.
Feeling as high as the Pacers did on Thursday, and as low as they feel now, is valuable for the team. They know how to handle more situations and emotions. It was a vital week for the blue and gold, even in defeat.
Indiana wants to be a postseason team. So far, their regular season record suggests they are headed that direction. Prior to this week, nobody knew what to expect from the Pacers should they have made it that far. Now, though, the world has seen what the blue and gold can do on that stage.
The Pacers themselves also saw what they could do in that environment. They're more prepared for the playoffs after the highs and lows of the In-Season Tournament.
"The other really important thing was that our guys got a real taste of what the elevated stage is all about," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said Saturday night. "It's so important to have this experience, to feel the intensity, to feel the glare and the glow, and to find out what it means to be totally together in an effort to conquer it."
This one will sting for the Pacers. They did not play well and deserve the ridicule coming their way. But they'll be better for it — tomorrow, next month, and in April when the playoffs come.
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