Jaylen Brown erupts for 40 points as Celtics shake Game 2 slump, beat Pacers to extend series lead - The Boston Globe (2024)

Jaylen Brown on All-NBA snub: ‘I honestly don’t have time to give a [expletive]’ — 12:20 a.m.

By Emma Healy

The highlights from Jaylen Brown’s postgame press conference ...

• On if not making the All-NBA team motivated him to a 40-point performance: “No, I wouldn’t say that.” When prompted, he said: “We’re two games from the Finals, so honestly I don’t have time to give a [expletive].”
• On the atmosphere at TD Garden: “It’s the playoffs. It’s the best time of the year. We need the fans to bring that energy, because we feed on it.”
• On getting overlooked: “I watch guys get praised and anointed who I feel like are half as talented as me on either side of the ball. But at this point in my life, I just embrace it. It comes with being who I am and what I stand for, and I’m not changing that. So I just come out, and I’m grateful to step on the floor each and every night.”
• On the battle in Game 2: “I think we fought. I think we fought from beginning to end. We fought better in this game. Still some stuff we can clean up, but I think we fought, so that’s the most important thing.”
• On winning two at home to open the series: “It’s great, especially at this time of year, to take advantage of home court. That’s what we worked all season for during the regular season — being the No. 1 seed — so being able to take care of business here at home. Now let’s go steal one on the road. Or two.”

Jayson Tatum talks Jaylen’s snub — 12:10 a.m.

By Emma Healy

The highlights from Jayson Tatum’s postgame press conference ...

• On Jaylen Brown’s All-NBA snub: “We didn’t talk about that today during shootaround. We were just focused on winning the game tonight. We all felt like, internally, he should have made the All-NBA teams, so it’s a shame to see that he didn’t.”
• On Brown’s big night: “The game is just slowing down for him more and more, just finding ways to be effective, still by making the right play and just being himself.”
• On finally winning a Game 2: “Winning is hard. Winning in the playoffs is tough. It never goes, I guess, how you expect it to. Each game is different in its own right. It did feel good to finally win a Game 2, especially at home, but we understand that New York was up 2-0 and ended up losing their series, so we’re far from relaxed.”
• On the team atmosphere: “We have that environment where everybody has a voice, from the top guy to the last guy on the bench.” ... “It’s just like having 15 brothers or so. We all spend so much time together, we’re trying to accomplish something special.”
• On making first-team All-NBA: “It’s special. It’s something I strive to do, that I expect, but it’s nothing I take for granted. It’s an honor to be on first team All-NBA.”

The latest on Tyrese Haliburton’s injury — 11:40 p.m.

By Khari Thompson

After the game, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Tyrese Haliburton is dealing with left hamstring soreness. Carlisle said he didn’t have details, other than the fact that it was sore.

“We’ll know more tomorrow and then probably even more Saturday,” Carlisle said.

Haliburton missed 10 games during the regular-season with a left hamstring injury.

“He was unable to return. It wasn’t like it was a coaching decision, not to play him. He was unable to return, so we hope that this is a very short term aggravation,” Carlisle continued. “But, again, we’ll know more tomorrow and then Saturday, obviously. Next game is coming quickly.”

Jrue Holiday talks Brown, Brissett, and the Pacers bench — 11:25 p.m.

By Emma Healy

The highlights from Jrue Holiday’s postgame press conference ...

• “I think all around we elevated our game a little bit.”
• On Jaylen Brown’s big night: “He has it going. Y’all see what I see. Great player and great leader, but wants to win and takes things into his own hands. Having a guy like that on my side, I love it. I ride for him. … The way JB has been playing, man, has been outstanding.”
• On adjusting to the flow of the game: “I think they do a great job of that. It seems like controlled chaos the way that they play. They move the ball, they move bodies, and they play fast. But we can also do that.”
• On Oshae Brissett’s performance (3 steals, 3 rebounds, plus-18): “He stays ready. He hasn’t seen many minutes this postseason. He probably didn’t play as much as he wanted to during the regular season, but I think that’s part of the sacrifice, and him staying ready, I know it’s tough because you’re not really getting game reps like that, but when he came and played … I’m just really excited and glad to see him do that.”
• On Indiana’s third string coming in with five minutes to play: “Just continue to lock in. We know that these guys that are coming off the bench, the second and third string, this is their chance to make anything happen. We know the first and second unit are going to play hard, but these guys are going to play even harder. We know that on a big stage that anything can happen.”

What Joe Mazzulla said after Game 2 — 11:00 p.m.

By Emma Healy

The highlights from Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla’s press conference ...

• “They tested our discipline and tested our communication, and I thought we handled it better in Game 2.”
• On Jaylen Brown’s 40-point performance: “Just making the right play. Poise, patience, discipline, proper actions, getting the right spacing, and choosing your spots really well. … He takes a lot of pride in his ability to impact the game in different ways.”
• On Brown not making the All-NBA team: “Jaylen is just one of my favorite people. How does he handle [not making the All-NBA team]? I think he cares about it in a way that motivates him, and I think he doesn’t really care about it at all because he understands that winning is the most important thing. He has an innate ability to just get better and to work harder.”
• On the defensive approach: “The first way to defend these guys is just to attack them, and you can’t defend them if you’re not playing disciplined offense.”
• On the chaos: “When you play in the chaos, you have to embrace the chaos, so there’s going to be positions where it is chaotic and you just have to be ready to handle it. And I thought our guys did a good job handling it with just multiple efforts.”
• On the momentum heading to Indianapolis: “Only thing we should be thinking about is they were down 2-0 a series ago and they brought it to Game 7.”

Adam Himmelsbach | Instant analysis

Instant analysis: Tyrese Haliburton’s injury looms large for Indiana — 10:40 p.m.

When Jaylen Brown’s improbable 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation helped the Celtics eventually escape with an overtime win over the Pacers in Game 1 of these Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday, there was a sense that Indiana, a massive underdog, would not get an opportunity that perfect again.

And Game 2 on Thursday unfolded in the manner that many expected all along. The Celtics overpowered the Celtics with their powerful drives to the rim, with Jaylen Brown leading the way, and eventually rolled to a 126-110 win that gave them a 2-0 series lead.

For the Pacers, the series deficit and the health of All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton are both substantial concerns. Haliburton left the game with 3:44 left in the third quarter and never returned, officially ruled out with left leg soreness. He was sidelined with a left hamstring strain in January. If he misses the rest of this series, the Pacers’ already small chances would almost certainly be reduced to zero.

One game after his massive 3-pointer helped the Celtics to their Game 1 win, Brown erupted for 40 points to lead his team Thursday. He was serenaded with ‘MVP’ chants on several trips to the foul line. Derrick White added 23 points for the Celtics, who shot 53.4 percent from the field. Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 28 points.

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Celtics win — 10:34 p.m.

By Conor Ryan

Final: Celtics win Game 2, 126-110. Boston heads to Indy with a 2-0 series lead.

Jaylen Brown with a statement performance — dropping 40 points.

Celtics 121, Pacers 106 | 1:29, fourth quarter

Jaylen Brown matches his playoff career high — 10:29 p.m.

With a big three to make it 121-104, Brown has 40 points, tying his best playoff performance of his career, which came in Game 3 of the 2022 Eastern Conference finals against the Heat.

After an Isaiah Jackson lay-up, Joe Mazzulla called a timeout. Tatum and Brown are done for the game. — Katie McInerney

Brissett, Tillman sub in — 10:27 p.m.

Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser head to the bench. We’ve got about three minutes to play, and the Celtics are up 115-102.

Tillman was unavailable for Game 1 due to the death of his father. — Katie McInerney

Celtics 113, Pacers 97 | 4:33, 4th quarter

Tatum is heating up, and the Pacers’ starters are on the bench — 10:22 p.m.

Tatum’s first 3-pointer of the night comes with just over 5 minutes to go in the game. He’s up to 20 points. — Conor Ryan

Rick Carlisle appears to basically be calling this one down 16 with 4:33 left. No starters in the game. — Adam Himmelsbach

Tyrese Haliburton is out for the game — 10:09 p.m.

The Pacers star was dealing with chest soreness during the first half and will now be out for the remainder of the game with soreness in his left leg, according to the team. Haliburton had 10 points and 8 assists.

Boston leads, 99-84, with 8:40 left in the game. — Emma Healy

More music stars in the house — 10:06 p.m.

We saw Ed Sheeran already, but he’s seated beside fellow artist Renee Rapp, who will play at Boston Calling on Friday before Sheeran takes the stage to close out the night. She’s known for her role in the “Mean Girls” remake, as well as her song “I Hate Boston.” Hopefully she doesn’t hate it too much this weekend. — Emma Healy

End 3: Celtics 93, Pacers 80 — 10:00 p.m.

The Celtics lead by 13 with one quarter to play. Jayson Tatum has started heating up and now has 12 points in the game, but it’s Jaylen Brown (33 points, 5 rebounds) who’s pacing this Boston offense. Pascal Siakam has 26 for the Pacers at the break. — Emma Healy

Celtics 82, Pacers 71 | 3:44, 3rd

The Celtics lead by double digits ... again — 9:50 p.m.

The Pacers crawled to within four of the Celtics, but Boston went on a quick run to regain its double-digit lead. Over the course of a 14-5 run for Boston, Jayson Tatum had two buckets and is now up to 8 points. Jaylen Brown leads all scorers with 31. — Emma Healy

Brissett’s cut to the basket and slam prompts a timeout. Brissett is a +15 tonight in a little over four minutes of action. — Conor Ryan

Here comes Derrick White — 9:48 p.m.

Big spark from Derrick White, who has 10 points in the third quarter after having just 6 at halftime. — Chad Finn

Celtics 70, Pacers 66 | 7:10, 3rd

Boston is holding onto a narrow lead — 9:42 p.m.

The Pacers have whittled Boston’s lead down to four, as Pascal Siakam has 10 points in the first four minutes of this quarter. Siakam is up to 26 points for Indiana. — Emma Healy

Tatum is cooling off, while Siakam is heating up — 9:40 p.m.

Jayson Tatum now 2-of-9 from the field. A big night from Brown (28 points) is carrying Boston’s offense.

Meanwhile, Pascal Siakam is shooting 12 of 14 from the field. Even with that 20-0 run, the Celtics haven’t been able to pull away from Indy yet. — Conor Ryan

Adam Himmelsbach’s halftime observations — 9:35 p.m.

By Adam Himmelsbach

Seven observations from the first half as the third quarter tips off ...

• The Celtics missed plenty of open looks during their rocky shooting start, but their work on the offensive glass ensured that it was not damaging. Boston gobbled up offensive rebounds on six of its 14 missed shots in the opening quarter, and held a 7-2 lead in second-chance points. Then, at the start of the second quarter, Al Horford grabbed his own missed shot and found Sam Hauser, whose 3-pointer rattled out. Four Pacers stood in the paint and watched Brown streak in for the rebound and putback. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle instantly called timeout, surely frustrated by that level of effort.
• Late in the first quarter, Indiana’s Obi Toppin had the ball knocked out of bounds on a drive. The officials ruled that it went out off the Celtics, and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla instantly called a timeout and swirled his index finger, indicating that he wanted to challenge the play. The green challenge light at the scorer’s table went on, too. But when the players returned to the court there was no announcement, and the Pacers still had the ball. The most likely explanation is that Boston’s video team on the bench informed Mazzulla that they’d lose the challenge, so they were able to wave it off while still taking the timeout. It was certainly unusual.
• The first half was a struggle for Jayson Tatum. He missed a pair of open, in-rhythm 3-pointers early and never looked comfortable in the game’s flow. He went to halftime just 2 for 8 from the field, with 4 points, 3 turnovers and 2 assists.
• The good news for the Celtics was that they thrived during Tatum’s four-minute break to start the second quarter, an area that was a struggle in Game 1. Tatum’s time on the bench turned out to be the meat of the Celtics’ massive 20-0 run that put them in control.
• The Celtics tried an interesting matchup in the first quarter, with center Luke Kornet guarding Pacers guard T.J. McConnell. McConnell took just 0.6 3-pointers per game this season, and that was clearly part of the strategy, with Kornet sagging far back while McConnell roamed the perimeter. Nevertheless, the experiment didn’t really work. McConnell fired in a patented mid-range fadeaway over Kornet, and then took a few seconds to line up a wide-open 3-pointer before hitting the shot.
• Kornet injured his left wrist at some point during his five-minute first-quarter stint. When he checked out he went to the locker room to be examined and was later listed as questionable to return due to a wrist sprain. With center Kristaps Porzingis already sidelined, the Celtics were forced to get a bit creative with lineups. Oshae Brissett checked in early in the second quarter, grabbed a couple of rebounds and had a steal during a three-minute stint in which the Celtics outscored the Pacers, 10-0. Then in the final few minutes of the first half Mazzulla turned to a small-ball lineup that featured Tatum at center. It didn’t work. The Celtics led, 56-43, when Pascal Siakam scored four consecutive baskets inside during his own 8-1 run to close the quarter. Mazzulla was irked by the Celtics’ struggles to close early quarters authoritatively in Game 1, and this end could not have pleased him, either. Even though the Pacers went more than seven minutes without a made basket in the first half, they went to the break trailing just 57-51.
• Pacers center Myles Turner was dominant in the first half of Game 1, when he erupted for 18 points and gave Boston fits inside and out. He was not a factor in the first half on Thursday, however. Foul trouble limited his rhythm a bit, and he was 0 for 3 and scoreless. But the Pacers lingered thanks to Siakam’s strong surge to end the second quarter.

An update on Tyrese Haliburton — 9:33 p.m.

The Pacers star is dealing with a sore chest.

End of 2nd: Celtics 57, Pacers 51 — 9:10 p.m.

Boston took control of the game in the second quarter, but a few late points from Pascal Siakam kept the Pacers within single digits. A few scattered “MVP” chants rained down on the court as Jaylen Brown, snubbed for the All-NBA team, took free throws. Brown has 24 points and 3 rebounds thus far.

Siakam leads the Pacers with 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting. — Emma Healy

“MVP” chants for Jaylen Brown. “All-NBA First Team” doesn’t work as well for a chant. — Conor Ryan

Pacers went on an 8-1 run after their timeout with 1:52 left, and the Celtics lead is down to 6, 57-51, at the break. — Chad Finn

Celtics 56, Pacers 43 | 1:52, 2nd

Boston is in control, and Jaylen Brown is cooking. — 9:13 p.m.

The Celtics hold a 13-point lead with just under two minutes to go in the first half. Jaylen Brown leads all scorers with 23 points in 16 minutes. No Indianapolis player has reached double digits yet. — Emma Healy

An injury update on Luke Kornet — 9:06 p.m.

The Celtics announce Luke Kornet is questionable to return with a left wrist sprain.

A wild Bill Belichick spotting — 9:05 p.m.

By Katie McInerney and Adam Himmelsbach

Bill Belichick is in the house tonight, sitting in a box with Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.

Belchick used to be seen often courtside, but that was before he and Stevens connected.

”We talked about what was going on in the game,” Stevens told the Globe in January, when Belichick left the Patriots. “We talked about everything, but mostly what was going on in the game. He’s such a fan of competition and watching competition and always thinking about how it applies to what he’s doing on a daily basis.”

“But occasionally you get into discussions about management and coaching and those types of things. But I shouldn’t be the one talking in that, I should be the one listening. I tried to do that as much as I could.”

Stevens is both a friend and longtime admirer of Belichick’s. He appreciated that Belichick was always available whenever Stevens wanted to meet.

”Success is one thing, but it’s also amazing how he was able to stay in the moment all the time for 24 years,” Stevens said. “I mean, how do you do that? Special is unique. There’s only a couple of GOATs, and he’s one of them.”

Celtics 42, Pacers 27 | 7:04, 2nd quarter

The Pacers have gone quiet as Boston has exploded on offense — 9:00 p.m.

Boston holds a double-digit lead halfway through the second quarter after a 17-0 run to open the period. Indiana’s high-powered offense hasn’t scored in over six minutes. — Emma Healy

The Pacers’ elite offense ** checks notes ** hasn’t hit a shot so far in the second. — Conor Ryan

I am 100 percent convinced that Jrue Holiday has activated Playoff Jrue mode, which is the version that makes the absolute right decision every single time. — Chad Finn

The Celtics are taking control in the second — 8:55 p.m.

Boston opened the second quarter with a 12-0 run and now leads, 37-27, all with Jayson Tatum on the bench. — Emma Healy

Beautiful ball moment on that last Derrick White three. Jaylen Brown drove the lane, kicked to the corner, and two passes later White got a wide-open look. — Khari Thompson

Sure enough, Jaylen Brown sinks a 3-pointer. 10-point lead for Boston with 8:50 left in the half. — Conor Ryan

Pacers 27, Celtics 29 | 10:39, 2nd quarter

TD Garden is lighting up — 8:48 p.m.

It seemed eerily quiet in here during parts of the first quarter, but the TD Garden crowd is back to being its usual hostile self. An Al Horford dunk, followed by a forced turnover on the other end, got the fans on their feet and cheering. — Emma Healy

Make it 9 second-chance points for the Celtics already. Allowed them to stay in this game despite some rough shooting from several key players. — Conor Ryan

He’s shooting just 3 of 7 so far, but Jaylen Brown feels primed for a monster game going forward. He has 9 points in 9 minutes and is playing with a ton of energy. — Chad Finn

What we saw in the first quarter — 8:45 p.m.

The good news? The Pacers have already turned the ball over 5 times.

The bad news? So have the Celtics. Can’t be giving extra possessions to an offense like Indianapolis’s.

Luke Kornet headed to the locker room. Not good for an already thin Boston frontcourt. — Conor Ryan

End of 1: Pacers 27, Celtics 25 — 8:42 p.m.

The Celtics trail by 2 after the first quarter. Boston is shooting 43.5 percent from the field compared to Indiana’s 57.9 percent. Jayson Tatum has just 2 points on 1-of-6 shooting to start this contest. — Emma Healy

With 1:24 left in the first quarter, Payton Pritchard had more points (5) than Jayson Tatum (2), Jrue Holiday (2), and Derrick White (0) combined. No knock on Pritchard, but that’s not what you’re looking for. — Chad Finn

The Celtics are fortunate to be down just 27-25 after one, considering the Pacers shot 58 percent from the field. One reason the Celtics stayed close: they outrebounded the Pacers, 12-7. — Chad Finn

Pacers 23, Celtics 20 | 3:39, 1st quarter

A slow start for Jayson Tatum — 8:32 p.m.

Not a great start for Jayson Tatum, who is 1-for-5 from the field and has missed both of his 3-point attempts, both open looks. — Chad Finn

The Pacers lead, 23-20, with about four minutes to play in the first. Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell each have five for the Pacers, and Jaylen Brown has 7 to lead the Celtics. — Emma Healy

Luke Kornet has entered the game — 8:28 p.m.

Luke Kornet the first big man off the bench tonight for Boston. Indy’s offense feasted against him in Game 1. — Conor Ryan

Pacers 16, Celtics 15 | 6:57, 1st quarter

The Celtics are trailing at the first timeout — 8:22 p.m.

Jaylen Brown scored the Celtics’ first five points (he’s up to 7 now), and Al Horford has laid down a couple dunks, but the Celtics trail, 16-15, at the first break. — Emma Healy

The Celtics take their first timeout at 6:57 of the opening quarter, down 16-15, with the Pacers shooting 66.7 percent from the field. — Chad Finn

And we’re off — 8:15 p.m.

The Pacers won the tip, and Pascal Siakam threw down a dunk on the opening possession to start the scoring. Jaylen Brown responded with a 3-pointer on the other end. — Emma Healy

Starting lineups for Game 2 — 7:45 p.m.

Starting for the Celtics will be Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Derrick White. No surprises there.

And for the Pacers, it’ll be Myles Turner, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Tyrese Haliburton.

Ed Sheeran is in the house — 7:40 p.m.

The English pop star is in the building for Game 2 before he takes the stage at the Boston Calling music festival on Friday. Check out a guide to the festival here.

Jayson Tatum becomes sixth Celtic to earn three All-NBA First Team nods, but Jaylen Brown left off list — 7:00 p.m.

By Brendan Kurie

For the third straight season, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been named All-NBA First Team, but Jaylen Brown, who made the second team last year, was not among the 15 players selected.

Tatum, a five-time All-Star who finished sixth in MVP voting, averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and a career-best 4.9 assists per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent on 3-pointers. It marked Tatum’s fourth All-NBA team, including a third-team selection in 2019-20.

Tatum received 65 first-place votes and 34 second-place votes, giving him 427 points, the fifth-highest total. Jalen Brunson was sixth with 368 points, including 37 first-team votes.

Brown received 50 third-place votes, giving him 50 points, the 16th-highest total and 20 behind Booker, who was the final third-team selection with seven second-team votes and 49 for third team.

Read the full story here.

Why Stephen A. Smith says he was ‘disgusted’ with the Celtics in Game 1 win vs. Pacers — 6:45 p.m.

By Conor Ryan

It wasn’t pretty, but the Celtics managed to walk off the parquet floor at TD Garden with a 133-128 overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.

The Celtics needed a clutch 3-pointer from Jaylen Brown to force overtime, with several critical turnovers from Indiana carving a path for Boston toward a series-opening victory in the Eastern Conference Finals.

It was the type of momentum-shifting, ugly win that a title contender like the Celtics needed to secure as they try to win their 18th title.

But even with Boston taking care of business on its own home court, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was far from impressed by the Celtics’ performance in Game 1.

“Well, I’m disgusted with them, because I think their offense looks awful,” Smith said on ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday morning. “Somebody’s got to say, so I’m gonna say it: The offense looks awful. And I’ve been on the record unapologetically.

“As much as I respect Joe Mazzulla, and the job that he’s done — they did have the best record in basketball and I get all of that. I’ve stated for the record, I think if Ime Udoka was still the coach of the Boston Celtics, they would’ve been champions by now. They possibly would have won it last year. That’s how I feel about them.”

“Disgusted” seems like an odd choice of words for a Celtics offense that still managed to score 133 points against an admittedly weak Pacers defense — including 117 points in regulation.

The Celtics should have generated even more offense in Game 1, with Boston’s trademark 3-point shooting under Mazzulla hitting a lull for most of the evening (15-of-45, 33.3%). Six missed free throws also loomed large in a tight game.

Smith continued to rip the Celtics, especially as it pertains to their lapses in consistency.

“There is a difference between what Ime Udoka had the Boston Celtics looking like and what they’ve looked like offensively over the last couple of years,” Smith said. “You just see too much haphazard play. Now they’re the type of team that can almost blow the game and it takes overtime to win Game 1.

“But then they come out and they stink up the joint in Game 2, and then go to Indiana and win two straight. This is the kind of team Boston is. You don’t know what you’re going to get.”

The Celtics will have a chance to prove Smith and other ESPN pundits wrong on Thursday when they host the Pacers again for Game 2 at TD Garden. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.

Three things the Celtics must do to end their Game 2 slump — 6:30 p.m.

By Khari Thompson

Despite having home court advantage throughout the playoffs, the Celtics have split the first two games of each series thanks to losses in Game 2.

Both were double-digit losses at TD Garden. The Celtics bounced back nicely each time, winning the next three games in each series.

Now Boston has the opportunity to take a 2-0 Eastern Conference finals lead over the Pacers on Thursday night.

Will the third time be the charm for postseason Game 2s? Here are three things the Celtics have to do to make it happen.

Be prepared for a 3-point barrage

Opponents have made a little more than half (36-of-71) of their 3-point attempts against the Celtics in Game 2s during this postseason.

Miami made the bulk of those, knocking down a playoff franchise-record 23 threes while Tyler Herro dished out 14 assists.

The Celtics vowed they would do a better job of defending the 3-point line after the game, and they did. Miami shot 23 percent (21-for-90) for the rest of the series.

Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland went a combined 9-for-12 from beyond the arc in Game 2 of the Cleveland series. Mitchell missed the final two games with a calf strain, and Garland was unable to duplicate that performance.

The Pacers are more than capable of catching fire from deep. They’re shooting a league-best 38 percent during the postseason, and are the only team left shooting a higher percentage than the Celtics. They outshot the Celtics in Game 1, and nearly stole the game. Expect Indiana to keep firing from the outside.

Have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown set the tone on the glass

The Celtics are 9-0 this postseason when Jayson Tatum grabs 10 rebounds or more, and 0-2 when he doesn’t.

Boston was out-rebounded as a team in both losses, and Tuesday night in Game 1. Tatum has been the Celtics’ leading rebounder all postseason, and his work on the boards is crucial with Kristaps Porzingis out.

Boston has kept a short rotation with their bigs. Xavier Tillman and Neemias Queta have played sparingly. Luke Kornet is averaging 4.2 rebounds per game. Al Horford had a monster performance in Game 5 of the Cavs series with 15 rebounds.

But, the most of Boston’s rebounding production will likely come from the wings in this series. Tatum and Brown have to win those battles.

Keep the pressure up

The Pacers have the NBA’s highest-scoring and most efficient offense. They lead the league in points per game, offensive rating, and assist to turnover ratio.

Indiana had 21 turnovers in Game 1, which is nearly double their postseason average (11.6) and seven more than the Celtics had.

Boston got key stops in clutch moments, including two late turnovers from Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton.

The Celtics did a better job of getting stops and taking care of the basketball. They could use a similar effort Thursday night.

Joe Mazzulla wants a more focused effort from the Celtics to avoid any more drama vs. the Pacers — 6:15 p.m.

By Adam Himmelsbach

Tense moments at the end of close NBA games are understandably magnified, in part because one game-altering play can turn out to be the last one of the night. But coach Joe Mazzulla has pushed back all season against this narrative, stressing that the end of every other quarter is just as important.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night, the Celtics had a strong closing kick. Jaylen Brown’s improbable 3-pointer from the left corner with 5.7 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime. And in the extra session Jayson Tatum shook off an uneven stretch and put the finishing touches on Boston’s 133-128 win.

On Wednesday afternoon, though, Mazzulla pointed out that the Celtics might have avoided that predicament altogether if they’d executed more cleanly at the end of the first and third quarters.

“After losses in close games, I’ve said that the end of the game isn’t any more or less important than the beginning of the game,” Mazzulla said. “And so I’ll say it again, like, they outscored us by four at the end of the first quarter. They outscored us by 12 at the end of the third quarter. And so those are the things that you have to work on before you even get to that situation. And that’s why we were in that situation, because of the detriment at the end of the quarters, which is something that they take advantage of.”

Read the full story here.

Watch: Can the Celtics get to the NBA Finals? — 6:00 p.m.

If the Celtics win this series against the Indiana Pacers, they go to the NBA Finals. But “it’s not going to be easy,” says sports columnist Chad Finn.

Pacers-Celtics matchup changed the dynamic for game tickets in fans’ favor — 5:45 p.m.

By Matt Porter

The Pacers are good enough to make it to the Eastern Conference finals. Good enough to take the Celtics on a ride in Game 1.

They are not good enough, however, to thrill the ticket-buying public — especially after what could have been.

Boston-Indiana is, well, not Boston-New York.

When the Knicks were up, 3-2, in the second round of the playoffs against the Pacers, the promise of a Knicks-Celtics Eastern finals had fans paying at least $400 for advance tickets to games at TD Garden, and $900 for games at Madison Square Garden, according to Ace Ticket CEO Jim Holzman.

Read the full story here.

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