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Celtics Overwhelm Pacers, Take 2-0 Eastern Conference Finals Lead

The Boston Celtics barely survived game one of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Indiana Pacers, but in game two the Celtics demonstrated clear superiority en route to posting a 126-110 win. The Celtics did not trail in the second half, and led by as many as 20 points; they have enjoyed a 20 point lead in 47 of their 94 games (regular season and playoffs). After the game, ESPN's Tim Legler mentioned that this game highlighted the significant "talent disparity" between these teams--and that is without Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the last eight games due to injury but may be able to return as soon as game four in this series.

In his postgame media availability session, Indiana Coach Rick Carlisle said, "The bottom of the stat sheet is ugly." Boston outscored Indiana in the paint 54-34, outrebounded Indiana 40-37, and forced 16 Indiana turnovers while committing just 10 turnovers. The Celtics attempted 37 three pointers, not the 50 that they aspire to attempt each game. If the Celtics consistently play this way then they will win the 2024 NBA championship. They don't necessarily have to match each of those numbers; they have to maintain the mindset of attacking the paint and not just chucking up the first available semi-open three pointer--which is the flawed approach that doomed Minnesota in their game one Western Conference Finals loss to Dallas. The Pacers shot 44-84 (.524) from the field but lost by double digits because the Celtics dominated the paint and the possession game. The well-worn cliche is repeated so often because it is true: offense wins games, but defense wins championships. The Celtics are a great team that can make three pointers; they are not great because they make three pointers. As long as they don't get that twisted it will be difficult to beat them.

Jaylen Brown--whose three pointer tied game one near the end of regulation to set up Boston's overtime victory--poured in a game-high 40 points on 14-27 field goal shooting, authoring an All-NBA Team caliber performance a day after the announcement that he was not selected to the 2024 All-NBA Team. Brown denied that not receiving that honor served as an extra motivation, declaring that his focus is on the fact that Boston is two wins away from going to the NBA Finals. Brown joined a select group of Celtics players who scored at least 40 points in an Eastern Conference Finals or Eastern Division Finals game; that list is topped by Sam Jones (47 points) but, surprisingly, that list does not include Larry Bird, John Havlicek, or Paul Pierce. 

Jayson Tatum started slowly with two points on 1-6 field goal shooting in the first quarter, but he finished with 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Derrick White added 23 points, six assists, and four rebounds. 

Jrue Holiday contributed 15 points and a game-high 10 assists. When Jrue Holiday is your team's fourth option--and he is the fifth option when Porzingis is healthy--your team is very, very talented; he was the third option for Milwaukee's 2021 championship team. 

Brown, Tatum, Holiday, and White each have good size, good speed, and good length, enabling them to have a major impact at both ends of the court while playing multiple positions. 

Pascal Siakam scored a team-high 28 points on blistering 13-17 field goal shooting, but no other Pacer scored more than 16 points or attempted more than 12 field goals. He is doing his part, but it will take more than one All-Star caliber player to slow down Boston's well-oiled machine.

The biggest story for the Pacers--which could turn into the biggest story for game three--is that Tyrese Haliburton injured his left hamstring, received treatment at halftime, and then gave it a go in the third quarter before missing the final 15:44 of the game. The Celtics led 82-71 when Haliburton left the game for good, but he had a +1 plus/minus number during the 28 minutes that he played. Haliburton's boxscore numbers were modest in this game (10 points, eight assists), but he makes the Pacers' offense go by pushing the ball up the court to create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. It is difficult to picture the Pacers winning a game in this series--even at home, where they are undefeated in the 2024 playoffs--if Haliburton is out or even limited.

Labels: Boston Celtics, Derrick White, Indiana Pacers, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton

posted by David Friedman @ 12:08 AM

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