Halfway there: 10 Takeaways from Celtics/Pacers

#1 Jaylen Brown on a heater

He might not be All-NBA, but he’s certainly All-Action. Jaylen Brown was the best player on the court as the Boston Celtics overcame the Indiana Pacers in the second game of the Eastern Conference finals.

Brown’s dominance was influenced by high-level defense, assertive decision-making on offense and a mid-range game that countered overzealous on-ball defenders. For me, Brown could get into the paint at will, which helped cement him as Boston’s best offensive weapon throughout the game.

It doesn’t matter if it’s in transition or in a halfcourt set; when Brown decided he was getting to the basket, there wasn’t much the Pacers could do other than feign resistance.

This is the version of Brown that dominated the opening quarters during the regular season. It’s the version the Celtics need if they’re going to hoist a championship banner at the end of the playoffs. And it’s the version we’ve seen consistently enough that he should have been on an All-NBA team this season.

Brown ended the night with 40 points. 10 of his shots came inside the perimeter. Between that scoring outburst and his defensive intensity, it’s clear that his presence was a major swing factor in the Celtics’ success.

#2 Keeping Horford’s minutes down

Since Kristaps Porzingis’ injury against the Miami Heat, Al Horford’s minutes have been a fair and legitimate topic of conversation. The veteran big man turns 38 in nine days’ time. He has been coming off the Celtics bench for the majority of the season — for obvious reasons.

As such, when Porzingis went down with an injury and Horford was forced to step into the rotation, there were concerns about the additional mileage that would be put onto his aging body. On Thursday, Joe Mazzulla did a good job of limiting Horford’s minutes.

The veteran center saw the floor for a total of 24 minutes. That’s slightly below what we’ve seen in recent weeks but is encouraging for two reasons:

1. Horford dominated on the glass. His physicality and positioning were both an issue for the Pacers, regardless of whether he was fighting for offensive of defensive rebounds.
2. The Celtics found ways to control the tempo of the game when Horford wasn’t on the floor. That allowed him to slot into the rotation without having a heavy burden on either side of the court. We also saw him switch between drop defense and a switching system, as his legs were a little lighter due to the additional rest.

#3 Upping the intensity

The Celtics controlled the intensity in this game. They dictated the terms of engagement on the defensive end. In game one, the Pacers swung the ball side to side and dictated where and when they would get into their offense. Putting Myles Turner above the break was a big part of their strategy in Game 1.

Some slight matchup changes by Joe Mazzulla (where Brown started the game guarding Turner, Horford was on Pascal Siakam and Tatum was on Aaron Nesmith) allowed the Celtics to set the terms of engagement on the defensive end.

They limited — and pressured — Indiana’s rim attempts, played higher up on screens when guarding the perimeter and lived with their mid-range offense for most of the game.

By having Brown on Turner, the Celtics could afford to sink a little deeper on drives, primarily due to Brown’s athleticism and how that would allow him to close out quicker or tag the roll. Watch how he plays Turner in the above clip. Also, I do not know how the Celtics send Hauser to dig at Siakam and how White is able to rotate over and provide some help defense.

This was a different brand of coverage compared to what we saw in Game 1.

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

Turner is off the floor for this possession, putting Brown on Nesmith. Holiday and White are both guarding the low helpline and are tasked with protecting the rim. Again, Boston dictates the terms of engagement. Brown doesn’t get suckered into trying to stop TJ McConnell’s cut, and Holiday positions himself to seal off the pesky guard.

As Isiah Jackson looks to force his way toward the rim, White directs him toward the paint, where he and Holiday show two bodies and force the contested miss. Once again, the Celtics have forced the Pacers into taking shots where Boston is comfortable defending and leaned into their versatility and help defense to pressure the release.

This was a big change from how the Celtics allowed themselves to get spaced out by Indiana in the opening game and led to just 36 points in the paint, as opposed to the 56 scored in Game 1.

#4 Tatum needs to leave the perimeter alone

Tatum is now 21-of-79 from 3-point range during the postseason. That’s a conversion rate of 26.6%. He’s fairing a lot better when driving to the basket or working in the mid-range. In Game 2 against the Pacers, he went 1-for-7 from the perimeter.

I need to take open shots from deep. I get that shooting generates gravity. However, it’s clear that right now, Tatum has a case of the yips when shooting threes. It may be more beneficial for the Celtics if he continues to lean into his interior finishing and mid-range jump-shooting rather than trying to force himself out of a long-lasting slump.

He can always go back to the lab during the summer and figure out whatever it is that has seen his perimeter jumper slide into obscurity. Trying to fix that on the fly at this stage of the playoffs isn’t advisable, though.

If Tatum averages 25-30 points per game between now and when the Celtics hopefully win a championship, and those points come around the rim, in the mid-range and at the free-throw line, then no one will be complaining. There’s enough shooting on the Celtics roster for Tatum to step away from those shots — not forever, but at least for right now.

Just take the open ones when they appear.

#5 Dragging it out

We’ve touched on this multiple times throughout the season, but we can take another quick look. The Celtics PnR offense is at its best when they’re dragging out their dribble coming over the top of the screen. Tatum has become elite at this, as has White.

By taking the additional dribbles, the ball-handler is dragging his defender with him. When a team is trying to hedge or blitz the PnR, the ball-handler can manipulate space for the screener by dragging out his dribble around the perimeter.

As you can see in the above clip, the Pacers send two, with Tatum allowing Holiday to pop into space and shoot a wide-open three off the catch. Just like with their defense, the Celtics got back to what they do best, and dragging out the PnR has been something they’ve excelled at this season.

It will be interesting to see how the Pacers look to counter this because if they don’t send two at the ball, the ball-handler can look to turn the corner and attack off the drive.

#6 White finds his scoring touch

White can do everything. We know this. It’s not a surprising revelation. However, when he gives the Celtics a scoring boost, he changes the outlook of their offense and often generates additional buckets for his teammates as the defense overreacts and tries to limit him from getting hot.

White ended the game with 23 points. He dropped 4 threes and hit four shots inside the perimeter. For me, it’s the interior buckets that help cement the spacing. If White is hitting his threes but isn’t causing many issues when driving, the defense can push up on him and force the rock out of his hands. Yet, on the nights when he’s punishing that tight defense by driving or cutting, he becomes difficult to contain.

Take this clip for instance. White comes off the screen and looks to drag it out. Indiana quickly recovers to Tatum, leaving White with a one-on-one matchup. Rather than look to get into a step-back jumper or redirect the rock, White turns the corner, changes pace and gets to the rim.

Do that a couple of times, and suddenly, the defense doesn’t want to push up when you have the ball — but they can’t sag off, either, as you have hit four threes. That is when White is at his best. And that is the version the Celtics got in Game 2.

#7 This version of Jrue is exactly what the Celtics needed

Holiday has been electric over the last four or five games. He’s upped his aggression by multiple levels. He’s attacking at will, playing physical and embracing his role as a primary point-of-attack defender.

In the first two games of this series, Holiday has 43 points, 18 assists, 10 rebounds and 3 steals. He’s shooting 69.6% from the field and 58.3% from 3-point range.

As the only member of Boston’s roster who boasts an NBA championship on his resume, it’s encouraging to see Holiday up his production level and embrace being a leader on the team. Coming into the postseason, Holiday had a reputation for regressing during the postseason. That narrative is quickly being dispelled with his current production and performance level.

The hope is that this version of Holiday is here to stay — at least for the remainder of the playoffs.

#8 Bris-setting the tone

The Celtics found themselves short-handed at the center position with Luke Kornet going down with a wrist injury. Rather than leaning into Xavier Tillman, Joe Mazzulla sent Oshae Brissett out onto the floor.

By going small, the Celtics could keep pace with Indiana in transition, they had higher pick-up points, they rotated quicker, and Brissett’s energy and physicality operated as a disruptor.

Brissett’s performance may see him earn a role for the duration of this series. His movement and energy are more logical additions off the bench, rather than Kornet’s size and limited mobility in drop coverage. You can also interchange Brissett and Tatum at the five when needed and rely on Tatum’s rim protection and length to help anchor the paint.

#9 Back to mismatch hunting

Before leaving the game with a leg injury, Tyrese Haliburton was the Celtics’ primary target when hunting mismatches. He was being put in the action on both wings and was consistently forced to guard in mismatched situations.

Haliburton wasn’t the only one to get hunted. The Celtics also sought out Andrew Nembhard when possible, too. Nevertheless, seeing Mazzulla’s team control the tempo of the game and get into their inverted screening actions — along with some other sets — to create switches and generate easier paths to scoring was encouraging.

The Celtics spent Game 1 playing Indiana basketball. In Game 2, Indiana spent the game wondering how they had found themselves being toyed with by a Celtics team that controlled every aspect of the contest. This is how the Celtics will dominate this series, and their ability to consistently generate and attack mismatches will likely be a big part.

#10 Heading to Indiana

Two games played, two games won. Now, the Celtics head to Indiana with an undefeated road record in the postseason. The Pacers are a tough out on their home floor. We’ve already seen how resilient they can be, so imagine what that’s like when their hometown fans are behind them.

A reasonable expectation is for the Celtics to split the next two games and come back to Boston to close the series out. A dream scenario is they complete the sweep while on the road. In truth, Haliburton’s injury status will dictate how much resistance the Pacers are able to provide.

Looking ahead

Boston is back in action on Saturday. They could move to 3-0 on the series. Hopefully, Kornet is cleared to play or isn’t sidelined too long. And, who knows, maybe Porzingis will make his return to the rotation during the road trip.

It’s going to be a fun few days!