Midway there: 10 Takeaways from Celtics/Pacers

#1 Jaylen Brown on a heater

He won’t be All-NBA, however he’s definitely All-Motion. Jaylen Brown was the perfect participant on the court docket because the Boston Celtics overcame the Indiana Pacers within the second sport of the Japanese Convention finals.

Brown’s dominance was influenced by high-level protection, assertive decision-making on offense and a mid-range sport that countered overzealous on-ball defenders. For me, Brown might get into the paint at will, which helped cement him as Boston’s greatest offensive weapon all through the sport.

It doesn’t matter if it is in transition or in a halfcourt set; when Brown determined he was attending to the basket, there wasn’t a lot the Pacers might do aside from feign resistance.

That is the model of Brown that dominated the opening quarters throughout the common season. It’s the model the Celtics want in the event that they’re going to hoist a championship banner on the finish of the playoffs. And it’s the model we’ve seen persistently sufficient that he ought to have been on an All-NBA crew this season.

Brown ended the evening with 40 factors. 10 of his photographs got here contained in the perimeter. Between that scoring outburst and his defensive depth, it’s clear that his presence was a serious swing issue within the Celtics’ success.

#2 Retaining Horford’s minutes down

Since Kristaps Porzingis’ damage towards the Miami Warmth, Al Horford’s minutes have been a good and bonafide matter of dialog. The veteran large man turns 38 in 9 days’ time. He has been coming off the Celtics bench for almost all of the season — for apparent causes.

As such, when Porzingis went down with an damage and Horford was pressured to step into the rotation, there have been issues in regards to the further mileage that might be put onto his getting old physique. On Thursday, Joe Mazzulla did a very good job of limiting Horford’s minutes.

The veteran heart noticed the ground for a complete of 24 minutes. That’s barely beneath what we’ve seen in latest weeks however is encouraging for 2 causes:

Horford dominated on the glass. His physicality and positioning had been each a problem for the Pacers, no matter whether or not he was preventing for offensive of defensive rebounds.
The Celtics discovered methods to regulate the tempo of the sport when Horford wasn’t on the ground. That allowed him to fit into the rotation with out having a heavy burden on both facet of the court docket. We additionally noticed him swap between drop protection and a switching system, as his legs had been slightly lighter because of the further relaxation.

#3 Upping the depth

The Celtics managed the depth on this sport. They dictated the phrases of engagement on the defensive finish. In sport one, the Pacers swung the ball facet to facet and dictated the place and once they would get into their offense. Placing Myles Turner above the break was an enormous a part of their technique in Recreation 1.

Some slight matchup modifications by Joe Mazzulla (the place Brown began the sport guarding Turner, Horford was on Pascal Siakam and Tatum was on Aaron Nesmith) allowed the Celtics to set the phrases of engagement on the defensive finish.

They restricted — and pressured — Indiana’s rim makes an attempt, performed larger up on screens when guarding the perimeter and lived with their mid-range offense for a lot of the sport.

By having Brown on Turner, the Celtics might afford to sink slightly deeper on drives, primarily resulting from Brown’s athleticism and the way that might permit him to shut out faster or tag the roll. Watch how he performs Turner within the above clip. Additionally, I have no idea how the Celtics ship Hauser to dig at Siakam and the way White is ready to rotate over and supply some assist protection.

This was a unique model of protection in comparison with what we noticed in Recreation 1.

This clip is the very subsequent offensive possession for the Pacers.

Turner is off the ground for this possession, placing Brown on Nesmith. Vacation and White are each guarding the low helpline and are tasked with defending the rim. Once more, Boston dictates the phrases of engagement. Brown doesn’t get suckered into attempting to cease TJ McConnell’s minimize, and Vacation positions himself to seal off the pesky guard.

As Isiah Jackson seems to be to pressure his manner towards the rim, White directs him towards the paint, the place he and Vacation present two our bodies and pressure the contested miss. As soon as once more, the Celtics have pressured the Pacers into taking photographs the place Boston is snug defending and leaned into their versatility and assist protection to strain the discharge.

This was an enormous change from how the Celtics allowed themselves to get spaced out by Indiana within the opening sport and led to simply 36 factors within the paint, versus the 56 scored in Recreation 1.

#4 Tatum wants to depart the perimeter alone

Tatum is now 21-of-79 from 3-point vary throughout the postseason. That’s a conversion fee of 26.6%. He’s fairing quite a bit higher when driving to the basket or working within the mid-range. In Recreation 2 towards the Pacers, he went 1-for-7 from the perimeter.

I must take open photographs from deep. I get that taking pictures generates gravity. Nonetheless, it’s clear that proper now, Tatum has a case of the yips when taking pictures threes. It could be extra helpful for the Celtics if he continues to lean into his inside ending and mid-range jump-shooting fairly than attempting to pressure himself out of a long-lasting hunch.

He can all the time return to the lab throughout the summer season and work out no matter it’s that has seen his perimeter jumper slide into obscurity. Making an attempt to repair that on the fly at this stage of the playoffs isn’t advisable, although.

If Tatum averages 25-30 factors per sport between now and when the Celtics hopefully win a championship, and people factors come across the rim, within the mid-range and on the free-throw line, then nobody will probably be complaining. There’s sufficient taking pictures on the Celtics roster for Tatum to step away from these photographs — not endlessly, however a minimum of for proper now.

Simply take the open ones once they seem.

#5 Dragging it out

We’ve touched on this a number of occasions all through the season, however we are able to take one other fast look. The Celtics PnR offense is at its greatest once they’re dragging out their dribble coming excessive of the display screen. Tatum has grow to be elite at this, as has White.

By taking the extra dribbles, the ball-handler is dragging his defender with him. When a crew is attempting to hedge or blitz the PnR, the ball-handler can manipulate house for the screener by dragging out his dribble across the perimeter.

As you may see within the above clip, the Pacers ship two, with Tatum permitting Vacation to pop into house and shoot a wide-open three off the catch. Identical to with their protection, the Celtics received again to what they do greatest, and dragging out the PnR has been one thing they’ve excelled at this season.

It will likely be fascinating to see how the Pacers look to counter this as a result of in the event that they don’t ship two on the ball, the ball-handler can look to show the nook and assault off the drive.

#6 White finds his scoring contact

White can do every part. We all know this. It’s not a stunning revelation. Nonetheless, when he provides the Celtics a scoring enhance, he modifies the outlook of their offense and sometimes generates further buckets for his teammates because the protection overreacts and tries to restrict him from getting sizzling.

White ended the sport with 23 factors. He dropped 4 threes and hit 4 photographs contained in the perimeter. For me, it’s the inside buckets that assist cement the spacing. If White is hitting his threes however isn’t inflicting many points when driving, the protection can push up on him and pressure the rock out of his palms. But, on the nights when he’s punishing that tight protection by driving or slicing, he turns into troublesome to include.

Take this clip for example. White comes off the display screen and appears to pull it out. Indiana shortly recovers to Tatum, leaving White with a one-on-one matchup. Fairly than look to get right into a step-back jumper or redirect the rock, White turns the nook, modifications tempo and will get to the rim.

Try this a few occasions, and instantly, the protection doesn’t need to push up when you could have the ball — however they’ll’t sag off, both, as you could have hit 4 threes. That’s when White is at his greatest. And that’s the model the Celtics received in Recreation 2.

#7 This model of Jrue is strictly what the Celtics wanted

Vacation has been electrical during the last 4 or 5 video games. He’s upped his aggression by a number of ranges. He’s attacking at will, enjoying bodily and embracing his function as a main point-of-attack defender.

Within the first two video games of this collection, Vacation has 43 factors, 18 assists, 10 rebounds and three steals. He’s taking pictures 69.6% from the sphere and 58.3% from 3-point vary.

As the one member of Boston’s roster who boasts an NBA championship on his resume, it’s encouraging to see Vacation up his manufacturing degree and embrace being a frontrunner on the crew. Coming into the postseason, Vacation had a popularity for regressing throughout the postseason. That narrative is shortly being dispelled together with his present manufacturing and efficiency degree.

The hope is that this model of Vacation is right here to remain — a minimum of for the rest of the playoffs.

#8 Bris-setting the tone

The Celtics discovered themselves short-handed on the heart place with Luke Kornet taking place with a wrist damage. Fairly than leaning into Xavier Tillman, Joe Mazzulla despatched Oshae Brissett out onto the ground.

By going small, the Celtics might maintain tempo with Indiana in transition, that they had larger pick-up factors, they rotated faster, and Brissett’s vitality and physicality operated as a disruptor.

Brissett’s efficiency may even see him earn a task all through this collection. His motion and vitality are extra logical additions off the bench, fairly than Kornet’s dimension and restricted mobility in drop protection. You can even interchange Brissett and Tatum on the 5 when wanted and depend on Tatum’s rim safety and size to assist anchor the paint.

#9 Again to mismatch searching

Earlier than leaving the sport with a leg damage, Tyrese Haliburton was the Celtics’ main goal when searching mismatches. He was being put within the motion on each wings and was persistently pressured to protect in mismatched conditions.

Haliburton wasn’t the one one to get hunted. The Celtics additionally sought out Andrew Nembhard when doable, too. Nonetheless, seeing Mazzulla’s crew management the tempo of the sport and get into their inverted screening actions — together with another units — to create switches and generate simpler paths to scoring was encouraging.

The Celtics spent Recreation 1 enjoying Indiana basketball. In Recreation 2, Indiana spent the sport questioning how that they had discovered themselves being toyed with by a Celtics crew that managed each facet of the competition. That is how the Celtics will dominate this collection, and their skill to persistently generate and assault mismatches will doubtless be an enormous half.

#10 Heading to Indiana

Two video games performed, two video games received. Now, the Celtics head to Indiana with an undefeated highway report within the postseason. The Pacers are a tricky out on their dwelling flooring. We’ve already seen how resilient they are often, so think about what that’s like when their hometown followers are behind them.

An affordable expectation is for the Celtics to separate the subsequent two video games and are available again to Boston to shut the collection out. A dream state of affairs is that they full the sweep whereas on the highway. In fact, Haliburton’s damage standing will dictate how a lot resistance the Pacers are in a position to present.

Trying forward

Boston is again in motion on Saturday. They may transfer to 3-0 on the collection. Hopefully, Kornet is cleared to play or isn’t sidelined too lengthy. And, who is aware of, possibly Porzingis will make his return to the rotation throughout the highway journey.

It’s going to be a enjoyable few days!