#1 Avoiding an upset
That was a close one! The Indiana Pacers didn’t back down. The Boston Celtics were forced to dig deep. It might not have been pretty, but the Celtics found a way to get the desired result, even if they made life difficult for themselves for stretches of the game.
For anyone who wants to say the Celtics haven’t been tested in these playoffs, point to this game as an example of why they’re wrong. Boston showed grit, determination and exceptional self-belief to pull themselves back into this one and ultimately grind out a win in overtime.
#2 The Jaylen Brown curveball
All season long, the Celtics have gone to Jayson Tatum in the clutch. There has been considerable debate regarding Jaylen Brown and whether he should get an opportunity to take big shots in big moments. Enter Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Celtics are down by 3. There’s 7.8 seconds left on the clock. It’s a baseline out-of-bounds (BLOB) possession.
Brown and Derrick White work a little twirl action with both splitting off the screen, Brown into the corner, and White into the slot. The ball finds Brown. Tightly contested by Pascal Siakam. Bucket.
While all this was going on, there was some window dressing with Tatum and Al Horford on the opposite side of the floor, as they ran a twirl action between them. The aim of the double-sided twirl action was to keep the defense spaced out and limiting the Pacers’ ability to put two on the ball.
Interestingly, that bucket was the only three-pointer that Brown hit all night. Joe Mazzulla and Brown’s Celtics teammates all trusted him in a significant moment. Brown made the bucket that forced overtime. Maybe we will see some more evenly distributed end-of-game actions moving forward.
#3 The Horford conundrum
After his heroics in Game 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Al Horford found himself in a tough spot. The soon-to-be 38-year-old opened the game as the Celtics drop defender while being matched up with Myles Turner. That plan didn’t work out how Boston would have wanted.
Horford was forced to shuttle between the mid-post and perimeter and consistently found himself guarding space. If Horford pushed up, he left space behind him that Indiana looked to exploit with cutters or angled screens. If he sagged off, there was room in the mid-range that could be attacked via PnRs or DHOs, with the ball-handler drawing additional attention.
Take this possession for example. All season long, the Celtics have switched 1-through-4 with the five-man operating outside of that switching system. Horford’s ability to defend on the perimeter can sometimes confuse that system — which is what we see above. Horford is in a deep drop. White is caught up with Turner (maybe he was tagging the roll?) and goes to the floor. Suddenly, Haliburton is wide open and nails the three.
The Pacers also positioned their bigs in the corner. That forced Horford to guard outside of the paint, leaving the middle of the floor open with little resistance and put pressure onto Boston’s wings to compensate for his absence. Oftentimes, that led to easy lanes to the rim.
When Horford did switch, the Pacers’ up-tempo basketball tested his lateral quickness and hip flexibility to change direction quickly.
This play was the final straw.
Took 1 possession in the 2nd half to switch Horford onto Siakam.
— Coach Gibson Pyper (@HalfCourtHoops) May 22, 2024
Usually, Tatum and Horford would switch this. They didn’t. That wasn’t the scheme. Horford was a beat too quick with his recovery back to Turner, which opened the lane for Tyrese Haliburton to get an easy look. From here on out, the Celtics had Tatum match up with Turner, and they went to a more switch-heavy system.
Of course, there were still times when Horford was switched onto Turner or Siakam, but for the most part, he was taken away from a drop coverage role, which allowed him to work as part of a unit rather than be an anchor that should protect the rim.
The problem is, once Horford moved into a switcher role, he became…
#4 Horford the hunted
Maybe this clip is a bad example because Andrew Nembhard misses his shot. Nevertheless, it illustrates my point. With Horford working on the perimeter, he became a target for Indiana’s quicker players. They hunted him in the PnR, and they used their space creation, quick first step and ability to change directions to continually find advantages against the aging big man.
Even when Horford was guarding someone in the corner, Indiana found ways to work the ball around to put him into an action where he would be forced to guard in space — oftentimes to his detriment. It was the same issue when he was isolated against Pascal Siakam, too.
Horford is at his best when guarding angles and when switching onto players who are on the move. Asking him to defend from stationary to mobile is a tough task, especially when multiple directional changes are part of the equation.
#5 Transition defense must improve
The Pacers run the ball. Not sometimes. Not most of the time. Every single possession. They run. It’s what they do. The below clip from Coach Carter is exactly how I envision Rick Carlisle’s pre-game instructions.
The Celtics ended the regular season as the best transition defense in the NBA, holding opponents to 1.05 points per 100 possessions. However, out of all the remaining teams, they are the worst transition defense in the playoffs. Part of that is likely not having Kristaps Porzingis in the rotation. Having him shuttle back into the paint and deter attempts at the rim was a major part of Mazzulla’s strategy.
Nevertheless, the Celtics need to find a way to get back to being an elite transition defense. That’s how they’re going to shut down Indiana. It’s how they’re going to force the Pacers into playing a half-court-based offense, and when that happens, the Pacers won’t be nearly as dangerous.
According to Synergy, the Pacers scored 1.4 points per transition possession on Tuesday — a mark that would put the Celtics as dead last in the playoffs if it was sustained throughout the series. They have to improve there.
#6 2-1-2 zone makes an appearance
Another curveball from Mazzulla, this time channeling his inner Erik Spoelstra to throw out a 2-1-2 zone early in the second quarter.
The Celtics don’t need to throw this look out there too often nor for too long. However, if did have the desired effect over the 6 or 7 possessions that Mazzulla kept it out there for. The Pacers were forced into slowing the tempo and working for a shot. That’s what Boston wants on defense: to take Indiana out of their usual system as often as possible.
#7 Empty corner PnR’s
A staple in the Celtics offensive system.
Sometimes, Boston will run these empty-side actions to create early offense via a drive or a pick-and-pop. Other times they will put Tatum, Brown, Holiday or White as screeners as they look to create and attack mismatches. That’s exactly what’s going on in the above clip, and it’s what happened in the below clip, too.
I would like to see some additional empty corner actions in transition, ideally via drag and step screens. Either way, though, having an empty side to attack makes perfect sense when playing a high-tempo game, especially when shooters can fill the corner after the initial action has occurred.
#8 White filled the gaps
I don’t think you can overstate how important White’s production is for this Celtics team. On some nights, he will emerge as a top-three scoring option. Others, he will be a connective tissue that allows everyone around him to thrive. He was the latter on Tuesday night.
Yes, White ended the game with 15 points, but it was his 9 dimes and 6 boards that caught my eye; when you’re being forced to play at a higher pace than you’re used to, you need smart decision-makers initiating action. That’s where White comes in. He doesn’t crack under pressure. He stays composed. And most importantly, he approaches every game with a team-first mindset.
Empty side pick-and-roll. White drags his dribble to engage both defenders. Horford pops onto the elbow. White kicks it back, wide-open three. It all seems so simple. Yet, that level of defensive manipulation is incredibly difficult, especially when playing at this stage of the season.
#9 Aggressive Jrue is a good Jrue
Who said that Holiday regresses during the postseason? His recent stretch of games has disproven that theory. Holiday was scoring in the post, from the perimeter, and when driving the lane. He worked as a screener. He cross-matches with bigs on defense. He created for others. And he took on some of the most difficult defensive assignments.
Bluntly: He did everything the Celtics acquired him to do and sprinkled a little extra on top for a bonus.
Holiday ended the night with 28 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds. He shot 4-of-8 from deep.
Quick decision-making making, like in the cut above, is why Holiday had so much success. The pace of his actions made him a tough cover, regardless of where he was on the floor. Boston needs more performances like this one from the veteran guard as the series wears on, especially if they want to make short work of a plucky Pacers team and get some additional rest before the NBA Finals.
#10 Maybe a series for Tillman
Similarly to Horford, Luke Kornet had a difficult night. He is an out-and-out drop defender. The Pacers were more than happy to attack the space he left or to try and pull him toward the perimeter and beat him off the dribble.
Xavier Tillman was absent from the Celtics rotation due to personal reasons. However, when/if he returns, he may find himself getting some minutes off Mazzulla’s bench. Tillman is capable of playing in a switch-heavy system and is young enough to keep pace with Indiana’s offense. He’s also experienced enough to adjust how he covers his opponents throughout a contest.
We haven’t seen much of Tillman since he was acquired at the trade deadline. However, this could be a series where his addition pays dividends. We will see.
Looking ahead
The Celtics are back in action on Thursday. Hopefully, they can avoid making it a trifecta of Game 2 losses and handle their business. The Pacers are a talented home team. As such, securing both wins at the TD Garden must be considered essential. I’ll be back here either way on Friday!
