The Boston Celtics fought again towards the Indiana Pacers in Sport 3 on Saturday evening, incomes a 3-0 collection lead whereas overcoming an 18-point deficit. Jrue Vacation closed issues out with a game-clinching steal as Jayson Tatum posted his greatest scoring evening of the postseason.
Listed below are three belongings you may need missed from the sport.
1. Al Horford’s protection
All evening lengthy, the Celtics received hounded within the paint. Indiana’s relentless assault contained in the arc was the explanation Boston went down by 18 within the first place. However late within the third, they figured issues out. They usually couldn’t have achieved it with out Al Horford.
He helped them pack the paint, stopping the Pacers’ penetrative fashion of play for lengthy sufficient to mount a comeback. This block in transition is only a microcosm of the work he did on the inside, nevertheless it certain is enjoyable to look at.
2. ‘Cease feeling sorry’
Joe Mazzulla has careworn the significance of not having expectations all season, and the message has solely been amplified within the playoffs. So, when the Celtics discovered themselves down by double digits to the Tyrese Haliburton-less Pacers, he naturally doubled down.
And it labored to perfection.
“Yeah, I believe, it was a type of timeouts within the third quarter, Joe simply sort of instructed us [to] cease feeling sorry for ourselves,” Jayson Tatum stated. “And no matter state of affairs we’re in, that’s the state of affairs that we’re in. And it’s on us to determine it out. We sort of felt fortunate that we had been enjoying as unhealthy, per se, as we had been and the way nicely they had been taking pictures the ball, and we had been solely down 13, 14 factors on the highway, and we nonetheless had a whole lot of time left to win the sport.
“So, it was a type of timeouts, perhaps with like 5 minutes left within the third, once we sort of turned it round.”
Picture by Pepper Robinson/NBAE by way of Getty Pictures
3. Derrick White and TJ McConnell
A really random, very ineffective perception from masking the sport: Derrick White and TJ McConnell had been speaking to one another each time the ball was being inbounded.
McConnell could be able to inbound the ball, however because the refs had been ready for subs, he and White had been chatting. Typically, it seemed like trash speak, and typically, it seemed like a traditional dialog, however phrases had been positively being exchanged. McConnell even cracked a smirk at one level.
It’s clearly all love and respect between the 2 gamers, nevertheless it was simply enjoyable to see the interplay.
