The Celtics finally won a close one in the playoffs, and what a victory it was
The Celtics didn’t panic, or fold, or say “we’ll get ‘em in Game 2.” Instead, they fought to a 133-128 overtime victory over the Pacers.
Hey, you asked for this. Don’t blame me if your Celtics fan nerves are shot this morning.
The Celtics need a close game, you said. They need a genuine playoff test, to show that they close a tight game late, or better yet, seize victory when all looks lost.
They need to prove that they have mettle, the clutch gene, guts — definitely guts — and assorted synonyms for guts, too.
I caught your call on that certain sports radio program, 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays. The words were heard. I suspect it was you.
And so it must be asked, after the Celtics’ fast-paced, often frustrating, and ultimately emboldening 133-128 overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Tuesday night at TD Garden:
Was that close enough for you?
And: How do you like them now?
The Celtics didn’t just win a close one. They practically stole it, after appearing to have let it slip.
Leading, 92-79, with a little less than three minutes to play in the third quarter, the Celtics gave up a 14-2 run to end the quarter (with Jayson Tatum sitting on the bench), then battled back and forth with Tyrese Haliburton (25 points) and Pascal Siakam (23) in the fourth quarter.
With 1:57 remaining in regulation, the Celtics found themselves down, 115-110, after an Andrew Nembhard 3-pointer.
But the Celtics didn’t panic, or fold, or say “we’ll get ‘em in Game 2.” They fought. Jrue Holiday — who was magnificent with 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and an endless reservoir of poise — made a layup, then Jaylen Brown (26 points) hit a pair of free throws, which hasn’t always been a sure thing with him late in tight games.
Nembhard stuck a 19-footer to put the Pacers up, 117-114, with 46.3 seconds left. That was the last points for either team until six seconds remained. That’s when Brown took a pass from Holiday in the corner and buried a contested three to tie the score and send TD Garden and everyone watching at home into Jack Buck, I-can’t-believe-what-I-just-saw mode.
Haliburton bricked a last-gasp 3-pointer with Tatum all over him, sending the game to overtime.
Haliburton knocked down a three at 3:45 for the first points of the extra time, but again the Celtics refused to fold. Tatum, who scored 36 points but made some curious decisions among his 26 shot attempts (he made 12, but was just 2 of 8 on threes, and the stepback remains too overly relied upon in his repertoire), finally got one of his takeover attempts to stick.
He scored a conventional 3-point play with 1:12 remaining to put the Celtics ahead, 124-123, then drilled the second-biggest shot of the night (after Brown’s tying three in regulation, of course), knocking down a straight-on three after Nembhard bit for his pump fake.
From there, the Celtics took care of business at the line, as teams that win close playoff games do, and what looked like an inauspicious start to this series turned into an emboldening victory.
“I think we always knew we could [win a close game],” said Holiday, who did acknowledge that the victory was emboldening to some degree. “Close games I don’t think have ever bothered us.”
The more vocal factions of their fan base would beg to differ. As tiresome as the “yeah, but can they win a close playoff game?” narrative became, and as irresistible as it is to mock in the moments after they won one, even someone that fully believes in this Celtics team can acknowledge the truth.
They needed to do this.
There is no argument against that. Every playoff victory matters, and the relative breezes past the Heat in the first round and Cavaliers in the second — both five-game series, with the Celtics taking a nap in Game 2 of both — were won the way the 64-win, net-rating-darling Celtics should have won them: with ease, and only fleeting pockets of suspense.
There are still things to be concerned about in this series, if you insist. Tatum’s shot selection needs to get better. Al Horford has to knock down the open 3-pointers — he was 3 of 12 from long range Tuesday — that Pacers coach Rick Carlisle seems to content to cede to him. Joe Mazzulla’s unwillingness in earlier playoff games to give some run to Xavier Tillman and to a lesser degree Oshae Brissett makes them pretty much unplayable in this series, which is too bad, because Luke Kornet and Sam Hauser were eaten alive by the Pacers’ rapid and efficient offense in Game 1. The Celtics could use another counterpoint or two to the Pacers’ 10-deep lineup.
But those are minor nitpicks while we wait to see what Game 2 brings. And we cannot forget that what happened in Game 1 might just be the best-case scenario for the Celtics.
They played a tight, taut game, and they won the thing, even after it was starting to feel lost.
They won a close one, just as they needed to do, even if we heard about that need way too often as the wins stacked up.
Nine victories into their postseason, we can now say it. The playoffs have officially begun.
The Celtics won a close one, and it will not be their last during this run.
Good luck getting any sleep.
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