3 Reasons behind Indiana Pacers wild In-Season Tournament win vs. Boston Celtics

Following a rare Tyrese Haliburton-less win on Saturday against Miami, the Indiana Pacers and their neon and yellow court welcomed the East-leading Boston Celtics to Gainsbridge Fieldhouse in the first In-Season Tournament knockout game.

While this matchup did seem a bit unfair, as Indiana went undefeated in group play and still had to face the best team in the East, hopes were high going into this one from Pacers fans, as Tyrese Haliburton would make his return to the lineup following some upper respiratory issues.

His return would be very much needed, as Indiana did not fare very well in their only other Boston matchup so far this season, losing by 51 points on a night where Tyrese Haliburton sat out, and the Pacers could not contain Boston on offense nor score on them on defense.

Monday night was a different story.

With Haliburton fresh after getting three days of rest, he took on the bright lights of the In-Season Tournament and a national TV spot on TNT. Haliburton and the Pacers came to play, miraculously coming away with a win on the first-seeded Celtics after pulling away in the final moments.

This win means the Pacers advance to the Tournament Semifinals and will play the winners of Tuesday's Milwaukee vs New York matchup. Indiana also has two days of rest before this game, as their semifinal matchup will be on Thursday, December 7.

In what was perhaps Indiana's best win of the season, there were a lot of factors and key contributors that stepped up. Let's take a look at those factors right now.