Just like the Eastern Conference Finals five months ago, Joe Mazzulla knew a rematch with the Indiana Pacers wouldn’t be easy.
“Indiana presents a great challenge by the way they play,” Mazzulla said pregame. “Their togetherness. Their pace on the offensive end. Their physicality. I think they are one of the best teams in the league. One of the most well-coached teams. They are very conceptual. It will test each possession for us.”
The Pacers came ready to play, staying a step ahead of the Celtics for most of the night. They capitalized on Boston’s mistakes, turning missed layups into transition points (29 points on 14 possessions), exploiting poor defense, and forcing 14 turnovers that led to 20 points.
For most of the game, it looked like it just wasn’t Boston’s night. The Pacers took a 10-point lead into halftime behind 17 points from Pascal Siakam – a rare situation for the Celtics, who hadn’t faced a deficit larger than eight all season.
That lead swelled to 21 by the 8:54 mark of the fourth quarter.
Desperate to inject some energy into a sluggish team, Mazzulla called a timeout and turned to the bench.
Jordan Walsh, Xavier Tillman, and Neemias Queta checked in for Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Luke Kornet, while Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard, who played a career-high 39 minutes off the bench, stayed in.
Immediately, there was an energy shift. On the first possession out of the timeout, Brown and Queta ran a high pick-and-roll, which resulted in an alley-oop dunk by Queta from Brown. It was the start of an 11-3 run over the course of roughly three and a half minutes.
During that stretch, Pritchard had a timely bucket, while Queta grabbed three rebounds and dished out an assist, complementing his two-handed slam. His work in the pick-and-roll opened the floor for Brown, who scored seven of Boston’s 11 points during the run.
By the 5:17 mark, the starters checked back in with the Celtics trailing by just 13 and well within striking distance; Mazzulla chose to keep Queta and Pritchard in the closing lineup instead of Jrue Holiday and Al Horford.
It paid off, as the Celtics closed the game on a 22-9 run.
The 7-footer, Queta, finished the fourth quarter with four rebounds and a massive block on Ben Sheppard with 43 seconds left, which resulted in points on the other end, making it a one-point game. Overall, his activity on both ends of the floor yielded a +21 plus-minus in the fourth quarter in just 8:54.
“That’s a credit to him,” Mazzulla said on Queta after the game. “A credit to the guys that just always stay ready. We just went with different lineups to try to chip away at it. Everybody played a role in that. I thought Neemy did a great job on both ends of the floor. Just his activity, his physicality, gave us a spark. It was great stuff by him, and I appreciate that.”
Meanwhile, Pritchard assisted on three of Boston’s final four baskets, including Tatum’s 27-foot stepback three to tie the game. He and Queta were pivotal in the Celtics’ improbable 33-12 run to close regulation and force overtime.
“He’s just a well-rounded player,” Mazzulla said when discussing Pritchard postgame. “Good player. Gave us a chance on both ends of the floor. His shooting, his defense, his ball pressure. He gives a chance to win every single night.”
Mazzulla opted to stick with the same unit in overtime, where Queta grabbed five rebounds. However, the Celtics struggled with their shooting, going just 2-of-9 (22.2%) in the extra period. Derrick White was the only Celtic to score in overtime, while Tatum and Brown went a combined 0-of-6.
“I’ve gotta be better for my guys,” Brown said postgame. “That second group, they battled back, helped us get back into the game. Payton, Neemy. Neemy played great. Neemy played awesome tonight and gave us a chance.”
While there’s plenty the Celtics need to improve—especially on the defensive end—Wednesday showcased the team’s depth.
Boston was able to turn to Queta, who hadn’t appeared in either of the last two games, and have him make a significant difference. The same goes for Pritchard, who kept Boston afloat in Monday night’s win over Milwaukee, and the rest of the second unit – Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman, and Jordan Walsh.
“I think it just shows the character of the guys,” said Mazzulla. “I knew whoever we put out there, we had a chance to win, and we kept it there, we chipped away. Guys made big-time plays – Neemy, Derrick, Payton, Jaylen, Jayson, everybody just made big-time plays to give us a chance. There’s obviously that DNA part, and then we could focus on the stuff we can get better at.”
“It’s a luxury, we’ve got a good group, we’ve got a good unit,” Brown added. “But we can’t take games for granted. We can’t take games for granted. We had an opportunity to win tonight, and we didn’t pull through.”
Boston will need its stars to be better. A combined 6-of-29 (20.6%) shooting from three-point range by Tatum and Brown isn't going to cut it. Neither is the sloppy transition defense, and they are well aware of that.
"We've got to try and figure out how to get some stops," Brown said postgame. "Our energy was just lackluster. A lot of that was on me. I've got to be better for my guys."
However, they were reminded that there are other players on this roster capable of picking them up, and they saw just how quickly they can turn things around when they play connected basketball.
“There’s two things to focus on,” said Mazzulla. “There’s making sure we get off to where we’re not half a step behind, but you see what we’re capable of at our best, top to bottom. The guys fought, so that was good.”
Related
