1. While the Boston Celtics had some defensive issues in their win over the Indiana Pacers, it was good to see the offense continue to roll. And it was especially good to see some outstanding offensive execution late in the game.
The late-game issues seemed to crop back up against Miami, which was concerning. As several members of the team called out, that was essentially a playoff game. While Indiana isn’t a playoff team, they are playing free and easy with nothing to lose. The Celtics executing well against them was a good sign that the improvements made over the last few months weren’t all for naught.
2. Jaylen Brown was a huge part of the good play at the end of the game. After a strong start, which is becoming very commonplace for Brown, he also put together a really strong finish.
This drive is key because of how patient Brown stayed. Instead of barreling head-down into the defense and throwing up a wild attempt, as he did against the Heat, Brown gets to his spot under control. From there, it’s a fake to draw contact for the and-1:
This one is good activity by Brown and Al Horford. Jayson Tatum is doubled, and that means someone else has to make the play. Horford frees up for the pass, but Brown stays active to take the handoff. Again, Brown is patient and lets the play develop before dropping it off to Horford for the dunk:
Brown abused Goga Bitadze on switches all night long. Boston does a good job with their initial spacing, which doesn’t allow Tatum to get doubled. But Tatum still gets the ball moving. As Brown comes off the action, he’s got Bitadze again and backs him up to get to the pullup:
3. Al Horford is often the Celtics bellwether. If he’s playing well, the team is usually playing well. With Robert Williams out, Boston is going to need Horford even more.
On this play, Horford is initially just a safety valve after Derrick White got cut off. But Horford, being the veteran that he is, doesn’t panic and finds…
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