10 takeaways from Celtics’ bounce-back win over the Pacers

#1 – Empty side offense is back

During the Eastern Conference Finals last year, the Boston Celtics used a lot of empty side offense. If you’re not familiar with this approach, it’s quite simple. Instead of attacking from the middle of the court, like NBA offenses often do, the Celtics start from a side where the corner is empty.

On top of that, they make sure Al Horford, or whoever is defended by the rim protector, is sitting at the slot on the opposite side. This 5-slot setup was popularized by Quin Snyder with the Hawks. It makes it very difficult for a defense with a defensive anchor to come help. Indeed, they want to keep Myles Turner as close as possible to the paint, so the rest of the floor must be covered by four players instead of five.

Playing from one empty side makes it even harder because the help cannot come from the strong side, as there is no one in the corner. It can’t come from the baseline, as there is also no one there. Therefore, it can only come from the top or the opposite corner, which puts the defense a step behind and can open up opportunities for three-point shots.

To take advantage of this, the Celtics can either run pick-and-roll, knowing there won’t be any help coming from the low man, or they can use their speed to drive or their strength to post up, knowing that the help is too far to bother them. Chess, not checkers.

#2 – Al Horford on Pascal Siakam

Facing a strong frontline like Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner could be difficult for most defenses, especially with two of the best defensive players out (Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis). Yet, the Celtics have the tools to adapt to most of their opponents.

Myles Turner is a pick-and-pop type of center, thanks to his shooting ability. Therefore, it would be tough to contain his duo with Tyrese Haliburton if the Celtics decided to drop with Al Horford. Instead of forcing Al to switch onto Haliburton, they put Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum on Myles Turner and keep Al away from the action.

This has the added benefit of Al Horford playing defense on Siakam one-on-one in the post or isolation. As we’ve seen against Giannis Antetokounmpo or Joel Embiid, he can still do that. Moreover, as the Celtics don’t consider Siakam a shooting threat, the Indiana Pacers won’t benefit from great spacing since Al remains close to the paint when Siakam doesn’t have the ball.

#3 – Celtics unbothered by…