The Boston Celtics currently enjoy a 3-0 series advantage over the Indiana Pacers, but as they battle through another close game at the halftime break, 58=57, the series hasn’t felt quite as convincing as the record would suggest. The sixth-seeded Pacers have proven to be a worthy obstacle for the 64-win Celtics, and a major factor in their persistence has been a continuously strong effort from their bench contributors.
So far tonight, Pacers sixth man T.J. McConnell has had yet another strong start, scoring eight points and dishing a pair of assists. The 6-foot-1 bench guard has played well this postseason, but in the Eastern Conference Finals, he’s been absolutely electric. In the Celtics’ narrow Game 3 win, he piled up 23 points — his second-highest scoring total all season — while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing six assists.
Beyond McConnell, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle has compensated for his team’s high effort style of play by employing a deeper rotation. Nine Pacers have already taken the court this evening, all of whom have played at least eight minutes, as Carlisle has gambled on shorter substitutions — and, subsequently, more opportunities for rest — to compensate for a comparative lack of top-end talent.
Obi Toppin is an athletic spark plug who played well in Games 1 and 2, and reserve center Isaiah Jackson brings a similar dose of energy. Forward Dylan McDermott played sparingly in the early rounds of the playoffs but has seen increased run with Tyrese Haliburton sidelined, and connected on a three-pointer in the first half tonight. Even rookie guard Ben Sheppard has proven to be playable in the series, joining the starting lineup in the past two games with Haliburton absent.
The Celtics are structured very differently from these Pacers, to be sure. Boston possesses a lot of high-end talent that dominates their rotation minutes and touches — there’s less room for a reserve to make their stamp on a game. Still, the contributions from this bench have been lacking. Payton Pritchard has been relatively reliable, making a high percentage of his shots besides a two-point Game 3 outing, but they haven’t had a reliable contributor apart from him.
Sam Hauser has struggled, his three-point shot seemingly absent. Kornet is injured, and looked mismatched in his pre-injury minutes. Oshae Brissett brought a spark in Game 2, but has yet to take the court tonight, and Xavier Tillman has shown flashes in the past two games but looks rough offensively. Nobody else has played anything more than garbage time minutes in the postseason.
Top-end talent very well may be more than enough for the Boston Celtics. Their starting five has come up with no shortage of signature moments, which is how they’ve managed to build the 3-0 lead they enjoy tonight. But it’s clear that, in the absence of Kristaps Porzingis, their depth hasn’t quite played up as much as they would have hoped, while the Pacers have given themselves a chance with the contributions they’ve seen from their bench. Finding a heroic contribution from a reserve contributor like Hauser — or preventing another one from the Pacers’ bench cadre — would make closing out this series in the second half a much more manageable affair.
