With Tyrese Haliburton serving as the essential conductor of a breakneck offense, no lead is secure when Rick Carlisle’s list is turning the hardwood into a track meet.
Within the standard season, the Pacers paced the NBA by averaging 123.3 focuses per diversion. They outperformed 140 focuses a record 11 times this season.
But for six minutes and 29 seconds of Thursday’s Amusement 2 matchup at TD Cultivate, Carlisle may as it were sit and stew as shot after shot after shot from his group clanged off the edge.
Across the conclusion of the primary quarter and into the moment, the Celtics moved Indiana’s souped-up offense into impartial — reeling off a 20-0 run that impelled Boston to a 126-110 win and a 2-0 arrangement lead within the Eastern Conference finals.
Promotion:
“The foot of the stat sheet is ugly,” Carlisle said. “We misplaced the bounce back, those second-chance focuses were a huge figure, and turnovers once once more were a huge problem.”
Whereas Carlisle harped on his team’s need of execution, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla accepted Boston given the Pacers a taste of their possess pharmaceutical.
“When you play within the chaos, you’ve got to grasp the chaos,” Mazzulla said. “And so there’s attending to be belonging where it is chaotic and you fair need to be prepared to handle that. And I thought our folks did a great work of dealing with it with fair numerous efforts.”
A vivacious exertion on the glass and a redone lineup paved the way for Boston’s momentum-shifting surge.
It took all of 1 diminutive, 21 seconds within the moment quarter for Carlisle to call timeout in an exertion to stem the tide. At that point, the Celtics had as of now reeled off seven straight focuses, coming full circle in a grouping where Boston pulled down three hostile sheets on the same ownership.
The locate of four yellow shirts stagnating within the paint as a taking off Jaylen Brown hurled the put-back bucket was sufficient for Carlisle to stop play in look of a regroup.
Celtics adhere with it and catch 3 hostile bounce back some time recently the bucket 💯 pic.twitter.com/K0cgwxccqI
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 24, 2024
It did small to turn around Indiana’s fortunes, particularly once Oshae Brissett drew into Boston’s lineup following a wrist damage to Luke Kornet.
Notice:
In spite of falling out of the Celtics’ playoff rotation, Brissett served as a much-needed start for an upgraded unit with Celtics star Jayson Tatum essentially on the seat.
Brissett to begin with entered the diversion in put of Al Horford with 10:
39 remaining within the moment. By the time the 25-year-old forward was supplanted by Tatum with 7:
49 cleared out in the quarter, the Celtics had outscored Indiana 10-0, and they driven, 39-27.
Brissett reeled in two bounce back and recorded a take over that constrained extend, whereas exchanging to Pacers watches on defense to constrain their capacity to storm into the open court. He wrapped up Game 2 with a plus-18 rating over 12 minutes, additionally had three bounce back, three takes, and two focuses.
Oshae Brissett scored his as it were focuses on this fourth-quarter dunk Thursday.BARRY CHIN/GLOBE STAFF
“Just his nearness, his vitality, his athleticism,” Mazzulla said of Brissett’s affect. “I think he had a dunk, got a take that begun move, some rebounds. He plays with such a tall level of concentrated and vitality. It’s big for us.”
With the Celtics winning battles on the boards and their littler lineup swarming Indiana and restricting their chances of getting out in transition, the Pacers were constrained to trudge in conjunction with more of a standard half-court offense — one that does small to play to their qualities.
Promotion:
“I thought move defense was great — really great, kept them in the halfcourt. Thought our person defense was good,” Mazzulla said. “I thought we were able to induce in driving paths and get out to shooters. They test our teach, they test our communication. And I thought we dealt with it superior in Amusement 2.”
The Pacers missed nine straight shots amid Boston’s 20-0 run, and had four turnovers.
“We know they like to induce into the paint. … But I think since we’re long and athletic, we are able take a few of those things absent and truly fair attempt to speed them up as much as possible,” Celtics watch Jrue Occasion said.
20-0 CELTICS RUN ☘️
The Celtics are rolling in Game 2 of the East Finals on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/2sjC3shzat
— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2024
By the time the dust had finally settled and Aaron Nesmith ventured to the free toss line with 6:
45 to go in the moment quarter, what was once a 27-22 Pacers lead had flipped to a 42-27 Celtics advantage.
After the primary quarter of Thursday’s matchup included 10 add up to lead changes, Boston’s amplified run gave it a pad it did not give up.
Concurring to the Celtics’ group insights account on X, Boston’s 20-0 run tied for its second-longest scoring run whereas holding an adversary scoreless in a playoff diversion amid the play-by-play time — surpassed as it were by a 21-0 surge against the Miami Warm on April 20, 2010.
“They move the ball. They move bodies, and they play fast,” Holiday said. “But we are able also do that. Ready to go little, go enormous, ready to play quick, ready to moderate down and execute. But I think having Oshae out there was fair a diverse component where I cruel — all five guys, fair in the event that we’re exchanging or in case we’re staying with our man, we’re competent of doing so numerous distinctive things.”
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