What ex-Celtic Aaron Nesmith said about making more threes in a playoff game than Reggie Miller ever did
"I know I'm a phenomenal shooter, so I just trusted the process and let it fly."
Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith had a career night against the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
He dropped 31 points, 20 of which came in the fourth quarter while Indiana was storming back from a 17-point deficit to force over time in their eventual 138-135 victory at Madison Square Garden.
Nesmith buried eight of his nine 3-point attempts in the game, accomplishing a playoff feat that even Pacers legend Reggie Miller never did. Miller, who brought Indiana to the conference finals twice against the Knicks, has a playoff career high of seven 3-pointers.
“I just knew what the game needed, what my teammates needed me to do,” Nesmith said during an interview on TNT’s Inside the NBA. “I know I’m a phenomenal shooter, so I just trusted the process and let it fly.”
The Celtics drafted Nesmith No. 14 overall in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft. He struggled to get playing time in Boston with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Josh Richardson getting the bulk of the minutes on the wings. He was sent to the Pacers in the trade that brought 2023 Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon to the Celtics.
Nesmith’s minutes doubled once he got to Indiana, and he developed into a career 38.5 percent 3-point shooter. He shot 43 percent from beyond the arc during this past regular-season. This year was his first time shooting better than 50 percent from the field, and he shot 91 percent from the free-throw line.
He’s looking to help the Pacers reach their first NBA Finals since 2000. Indiana lost to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. A group effort helped them make the Game 1 comeback against the Knicks, he said.
“It’s a collective, man. It’s everybody,” Nesmith said. “It’s Pascal [Siakam], Tyrese [Haliburton], Myles [Turner]. We’re just a resilient group. We just know how to fight. We never give up until the last buzzer sounds, and I think that’s what makes us a special basketball team.”
Nesmith was also tasked with guarding Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson. Brunson scored 43 points on 15-for-25 shooting but Indiana was able to overcome his performance and pull off the win.
“I knew what was going to be asked of me this season,” Nesmith said. “I knew what was going to be asked of me this series, so this past week I was just getting my body right, my conditioning right because I knew what it was going to be. I knew it was going to be guarding Brunson 94 feet, fighting over screens, playing 28-30-plus minutes and making sure I had my legs, my jumper at the end of the game.”
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