The Celtics show how quickly talent can turn games around despite their first loss

The Boston Celtics suffered their first loss of the season against the Indiana Pacers in overtime on Wednesday evening. The defeat is on record, but Boston still made a statement with its performance.

The Celtics started Wednesday without momentum as the Pacers controlled the tempo and relied on veteran Pascal Siakam as their primary offensive scorer. Indiana found advantages in the paint and in transition as the Celtics struggled outside of their halfcourt defense.

The Pacers took a double-digit lead at halftime and extended it to as many as 24 points in the third quarter. Boston's first loss seemed like a blowout. Instead, the ever-talented Celtics, still without elite center Kristaps Porzingis, flipped a switch and leaned on top talent to sprint back into contention.

The Celtics erased that deficit in the final 17 minutes of the game as Jayson Tatum and Derrick White fired shot after shot. Jaylen Brown played tenaciously on both ends of the field and fought hard for free balls. Boston was getting closer and closer as the NBA's most talented roster backed up the hype.

Tatum brought the Celtics even with a game-winning triple with 13.1 seconds on the clock in regulation, sending the game into overtime. Missed free throws plagued Boston in overtime and led to Siakam's game-winning shot. The loss should frustrate the Celtics, but it also sends a message, or perhaps a reminder, to the rest of the NBA: Boston's squad, no matter how cold the start, can turn any game on its head, even against quality opponents.

Boston scored 75 points in the final 22 minutes of the game, bringing the Pacers to the brink after Indiana had been in control for most of the evening. That's a resilience that will add another layer of capability to Joe Mazzulla's squad as they defend their title.

The Celtics want to start a new winning streak against the Hornets on Friday evening in Charlotte.