With 6:08 remaining within the third quarter of Friday’s sport, Al Horford sank a pair of free throws to place the Boston Celtics up 30 factors over the visiting Indiana Pacers, 87-57. That’s proper, the Pacers had simply 57 factors by way of two-and-half quarters and solely wound up with solely 105 on the finish of the evening.
Boston entered the matchup after two straight days of continuous criticism. They dropped a really winnable sport on Christmas Day, falling 118-114 to the “rival” Philadelphia 76ers. It was a day the place many felt that lapses in focus and depth served because the Achilles heal for the Cs, together with Jayson Tatum.
“We received to look within the mirror and man up,” he informed reporters on Wednesday. “And we simply received to be higher. We totally consider in ourselves, , the issues that we will do after we’re totally locked in, and we’ve accomplished it time and time once more.”
Tatum led by instance and set the tone on the sport’s first possession when he stole the ball from Benedict Mathurin, his first of three takeaways on this one. The remainder of the Celtics adopted swimsuit and put the clamps on Indiana. By the halftime buzzer, Boston had accrued 10 whole shares (seven steals, three blocks) and made the Pacers work for each single one in every of their 45 factors.
In the meantime, on the alternative finish, the Cs performed stunning basketball, rapidly constructed a lead, and by no means seemed again. They created wonderful appears possession after possession and the Pacers had no reply.
The form of creation that we noticed from the Celtics was evening and day from what occurred on Wednesday. There was no stagnation, compelled pictures, or sloppy possessions — simply connectivity.
“The sport is linked, and you may’t have a look at it from a static scenario of it’s this facet versus that facet,” stated Joe Mazzulla. “If you happen to’re having reside ball turnovers and never enjoying bodily on the offensive finish, it’s going to affect the opposite finish. If you happen to’re not doing issues on the different finish, it’s going to affect offense… I assumed you noticed only a higher connectivity between each side of the ball, to the place we have been in a position to maintain them out of transition and maintain them off the free throw line.”
If you would like an instance of 1 facet of the ball impacting the opposite, look no additional than Jaylen Brown. Brown, very like Tatum, set the tone instantly. His first half efficiency (and likewise the sport as an entire) was legendary. JB sank his first 9 pictures, together with a pair of loud dunks, en path to a 44-point outing in opposition to Indiana. It didn’t cease there for him both. He led the crew in steals with 4 takeaways and had no real interest in letting followers down once more after a tricky Christmas loss.
“We simply needed to be able to go,” defined Brown. “You realize, nonetheless the sport was going to be performed.”
If you happen to ask Payton Pritchard, the sport was performed with depth.
“The depth we play with, the tempo we play with the ball stress, after which simply being energetic off ball, like serving to our guys out, say, if we see man get beat, we’re recovering. We’re having a number of efforts. And I feel tonight we confirmed that we had numerous deflections. I don’t know what number of steals JB had, however like, it was simply energetic, and it makes a distinction we get out and operating after that, so one thing we simply received to be aware of, and maintain enjoying that approach.”
Boston may have an opportunity to maintain up their depth on Sunday evening once they get one other have a look at the Pacers. It’s powerful to think about that it’ll be simple to close them down in again to again video games, however we’ll simply must see.
