INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers hosted the Milwaukee Bucks for Game 3 of their first-round series on Friday night. There was an electric atmosphere in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. For the first time since 2019, there was NBA playoff basketball in Indianapolis.

The Pacers were excited about the expected atmosphere, and it was a Gold Out theme. The crowd was wearing matching shirts, Fever guard Caitlin Clark was in the building to get the crowd pumped, and the early start time forced fans to file in quickly. Before the game even started, it was clear that this was a new environment for the blue and gold.

That energy only grew as Pacers center Myles Turner hit a three on the team’s first possession. Indiana was ready to roll, and they had a chance to take a lead in the series with a victory. There was pressure, but Indiana was ready for it.

After four minutes of play, the hosts were ahead 10-6. They were surviving some defensive errors thanks to missed shots by the Bucks, but the Pacers were doing well to capitalize. After a few choppy possessions, they settled in.

Tyrese Haliburton, who has been limited by the Bucks aggressive coverage throughout the series, scored twice in a row near the middle of the first quarter, and Milwaukee took a timeout. They were down 14-8 at the time and shooting 20% from the field. They needed to regroup.

The stoppage wasn’t helpful. Indiana kept up their pace and defensive intensity, and the Bucks continued to struggle. They started 4/16 from the field and had 12 points after 7:36 of play, and star guard Damian Lillard — who has been terrific in the series so far — had just two points at the time.

Simultaneously, Obi Toppin got going on offense for the blue and gold. He scored six quick points to push Indiana ahead by 10 at 22-12, and Milwaukee took another timeout. They were really struggling early.

The Pacers kept rolling. They were creating, and making, good threes regardless of who was on the court. Their defensive pressure was impressive. Milwaukee was really off, and Indiana’s lead kept expanding.

With about 2.5 minutes to go in the first quarter, Lillard fell to the floor below the Bucks basket and immediately started grabbing his left knee. He was in pain and had to hop over the bench before going back to the locker room a few seconds later. He’s been incredible throughout the series so far, his absence would be significant.

The Pacers lead climbed as high as 19 at 37-18 with under one minute to go in the first frame, and they were ahead 39-22 after one period. It was a dominant start for the hosts, who were guided by 11 points from Toppin. Their offense was nearly perfect to start the game.

To open the second period, Lillard returned to the floor, and Khris Middleton scored twice in a row. That led to a timeout from the Pacers, who were watching their lead shrink against the Milwaukee’s stars.

Coming out of the break, the hosts found some space to score. But their defense was still struggling, and their lead dropped as low as 11 in the first few minutes of the frame. They needed to clean up their execution.

Haliburton, Myles Turner, and Toppin re-entered the game for the Pacers around this time, and they instantly scored a few times. Their lead was back up to 15 just moments later as they settled back into their speed and style. It was a smart lineup change for Indiana.

The hosts maintained a lead between 12 and 16 for the next few minutes, but it felt like the Bucks had momentum. Their tempo and force had improved significantly, and Indiana couldn’t quite recapture their success from the first quarter.

With 4:09 to go in before halftime, Khris Middleton hit a three-point shot that cut the Milwaukee deficit to nine. They were finally playing like they did for much of Game 1, their only win in the series so far. With the score at 55-46, head coach Rick Carlisle took a timeout for the blue and gold.

The stoppage helped. Indiana closed the half with their starting five, and that group was able to slow the Bucks momentum. They didn’t expand the lead too much, but good play from Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith, and Turner had the Pacers up 67-55 at halftime. Middleton had 19 points while Turner had 15.

To get the second half going, the Pacers starting five was scoring well. They ballooned their edge to 16 in the first few minutes and got the crowd back into the game. Pascal Siakam dropped in a pretty turnaround jumper over a smaller defender, which was significant due to the Bucks trying so hard to cut him off in this outing.

But Milwaukee answered with a quick run and cut the advantage to 11, which prompted a timeout from Carlisle. His team was still up double digits, but their grip on the game felt like it had been slipping away for almost 15 minutes of action. They needed to find some momentum or defensive consistency if they were going to maintain their lead.

Out of the stoppage, they quickly expanded their lead to 15 again, but Lillard answered with a three. That was the story of the game. The Pacers just couldn’t go on another run after their strong start, and they needed to find a rhythm on either end of the floor.

As the quarter progressed, the two teams traded punches. Indiana would get their advantage back to double digits, then the Bucks would make a push. That happened for several minutes, even as the two squads turned to their benches. It was a fascinating game flow.

The Bucks closed the quarter strong. A turnover by the Pacers in the final 20 seconds gave away possession, and Milwaukee used it to get a bucket from Middleton. He was up to a game-high 24 points at the time, and it was 90-83 in favor of the hosts after three quarters. But the visitors had all of the momentum. Indiana needed to recapture their early form.

To start the final quarter, the Bucks kept pushing, and they cut the lead to two with 10:19 to go in the game. Lillard hit a huge three to make the score 92-90. Indiana’s margin for error was gone. They had to play better down the stretch.

Not long after, Lillard hit another three to give Milwaukee their first lead of the game. His shot making had been impressive all series, and when he gets hot, he’s tough to contain. The Pacers were out of time to figure out a solution, though. They simply had to be better.

They were struggling to score, which was making it difficult to keep up. WIth 7:50 to go in the game, the Pacers had a total of 25 points in the second half of the game. Their offense had fallen apart as Milwaukee slowed the game down.

Indiana found a few points from SIakam on the next few possessions to regain the lead, but they couldn’t create any separation. The score was tied at 99 with just over five minutes to go after Lillard hit two free throws. The game was set up for an epic finish, but the Pacers needed to clean up their play.

Both squads went back to trading baskets for the next few trips down the floor, and the score was still tied when the clock read 4:08 to go. Bobby Portis and Turner each just knocked down outside shots for their teams to even the scoreboard at 104.

It continued to be a tie game for the next few minutes as both teams missed a few shots, and with 90 seconds remaining, it was a 106-106 game. The blue and gold had possession, and they had failed to take the lead a few times leading up to this moment. They needed a basket.

They got a point from Andrew Nembhard to regain the lead, and the blue and gold got a critical stop on the other end as Lillard missed a tough jumper. That gave the Pacers the ball with the lead and about 30 seconds remaining in the game.

Siakam came through with a clutch rebound, and he scored while being fouled. Indiana was ahead 109-106 with 19.8 to go and a free throw coming. There was a vital foul shot coming.

Siakam missed it, and then Middleton scored on the other end. It was 109-108 with 6.9 seconds to go as Nesmith went to the charity stripe with another chance to balloon Indiana’s lead.

He hit both, setting up a fun finish. Milwaukee had the ball down by three with mere seconds left in the action. And they found a way to score. Middleton hit a beautiful three to tie the game up with 1.4 seconds left.

SIakam turned for a three at the buzzer and missed it, which sent the game to overtime tied up at 111. The last five minutes of the game were terrific, and it set up five more. Middleton had 35 points after regulation while Turner had 27.

To get the extra period going, Middleton and Turner scored for their teams. Those two were awesome all night, so it was fitting that they started the overtime with points.

Indiana grabbed a ton of offensive rebounds on the same possession with about two minutes to go in overtime, but they missed five chances and didn’t capitalize. They were down two with 90 seconds to go after the poor possession. They needed a basket in the worst way.

The Pacers finally were able to hit a shot with just over one minute to go as Nembhard faded away from the elbow and dropped one in. It was a great shot, and the Pacers got a stop on the other end. They had another chance at the lead late.

This time, they took advantage. Nesmith hit a corner three with the shot clock expiring, and the Pacers were ahead 118-115 with 14.4 to go in overtime. Somehow, despite a poor OT frame, they had a chance to win late. But they needed a stop.

They didn’t get it. Middleton, once again, came up big with a three that tied the game at 118 with 6.7 seconds to go. He banked it in — it was an incredible shot.

Indiana had one more chance, and Haliburton saved the day.

That massive shot and free throw gave the Pacers a three-point lead with 1.6 seconds to go. They were once again a single stop away from victory, but Middleton had already ripped their hearts out twice.

This time, Middleton missed. The Pacers held on for a 121-118 win. It was an incredible extra period, and Indiana got it done to take a 2-1 series lead.

Turner finished with 29 points and nine rebounds. Haliurton had 18 points and 16 assists. They were both terrific in the win. Middletno had 42 points.

Game 4 is on Sunday in Indianapolis.

• Pascal Siakam entered the playoffs wanting to be the Indiana Pacers leader. He left Milwaukee on top of the league. CLICK HERE.
• ‘Embarrassing’: Indiana Pacers have dreadful opening to playoffs in Game 1 loss to Milwaukee Bucks. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark meets Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, gets praise from Rick Carlisle. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers use dominant Pascal Siakam outing to win Game 2 over Milwaukee Bucks, even up the series at 1-1. CLICK HERE.
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Anna Drakeford of Mercer County was named to the Kentucky All-Stars for the annual Kentucky-Indiana basketball series.

Drakeford is one of 12 players chosen for the Kentucky girls squad that will play the Indiana stars June 7 at Lexington Catholic High School in Lexington and June 8 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Drakeford, a 5-8 senior who signed with Thomas More University earlier this year, ranked first in the 12th Region and fourth in the state in scoring this season at 26.0 points per game. She shot 54 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line and averaged 6.3 rebounds per game.

She broke the Lady Titans’ single-season assists record and leaves ranked No. 2 in the program in career scoring.

Indiana leads Kentucky in the girls series 53-41, and the two teams split last season’s games.

It finally happened — I have become my father. Specifically, I find myself talking about how things were when I was growing up. For instance, when I went to high school, everyone got the same diploma and it gave you a rounded knowledge base to prepare you for your future, whatever that may have looked like.

But diplomas have been specialized and complicated in recent decades. In some ways, the Indiana Department of Education’s move to streamline Indiana’s diploma system will alleviate some of that.

The state would move from four or five types of diplomas to two: Indiana GPS Diploma and GPS Diploma Plus.

State officials and stakeholders also want more kids taking more college classes and getting workplace credentials. It seems Indiana students are having trouble completing high school coursework proficiently and yet we are pushing them to do even more.

But the formula to earn a diploma would still be complex, involving words like pathways, work-based learning and apprenticeships. And slowly, education seems more about training workers than teaching students.

Pinning down students too early

My primary issue with the whole debate is that the system wants to pin down students so early in their K-12 careers. You pretty much must know what avenue you want to go down by 8th grade.

How many people knew exactly what they wanted to be at 14 years old? It happens, but it’s rare. It is much more logical that you use middle school and even the beginning of high school to learn a variety of things and see what piques your interest. We called those elective courses in my days (the early 1990s, if you must know).

You could take journalism or drama or industrial arts, for instance. I always knew I loved the written word, but my high school journalism class solidified how I wanted to move forward. Other students found that they loved working with their hands.

Nowadays, some of those elective courses might be more technical, such as computer programming and business classes. But the idea is the same — trying a variety of things to find your passion.

Is there even any room for electives anymore? State education officials say the proposed changes would actually allow electives to count toward other credits and make them more of a focus, not less. If so, I applaud that.

I also don’t know why, suddenly, young adults can’t seem to handle basic tasks. Or at least that’s what employers are saying. Going to school itself taught me about showing up on time, completing my work, communicating with others on projects and the consequences of a bad grade when I slacked off. All those things translate into the workforce.

But if they didn’t, that’s why we had part-time jobs. For me, it was dipping ice cream and ringing up gas sales at a convenience store or selling CDs and, gasp, vinyl records at a music store in the mall.

Why, suddenly, does that need to be part of my diploma?

Willing to learn

I have read so much on this topic because so many people I respect and admire are telling me this new path is necessary. So, I am trying to be open to the proposals. I know that some students learn better by actually doing an activity or task rather than sitting in a classroom hearing about it.

And I know Indiana is doing nothing different than other states. The Education Commission of the States reports that nearly all states have moved past simple minimum credit requirements to a focus on skills and college and career readiness.

For instance, at least 21 states have identified multiple diploma options or pathways to graduation in state policy:

• At least 46 states and the District of Columbia identify minimum credit requirements to earn a standard diploma.
• At least 44 states and the District of Columbia permit students to substitute specific courses, assessments or other experiences for existing credit requirements.
• At least 34 states require students to complete specific assessments as a graduation requirement.

I am a bit of an old dog, but am willing to learn new tricks. I will keep reading, learning and trying to understand how this will make Indiana students better and more prepared.