Jrue Holiday downplays illness, but Celtics express appreciation for guard’s heroics in Game 3 win
"It's Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, I wasn't going to miss this game."
Jrue Holiday made a pair of big-time plays in the Celtics’ 114-111 Game 3 win over the Pacers, but it wasn’t a certainty he would play Saturday.
The Celtics guard popped up on the injury report just hours before tip-off, being listed as questionable due to a non-COVID illness. He wasn’t able to participate in Boston’s pre-game shootaround and his status for Game 3 was in question until less than an hour before tip-off.
Even though his status designation for Game 3 was questionable, Holiday was certain he would play.
“Yeah, I didn’t feel too well,” Holiday told reporters. “I guess I just figured if I could get a day’s rest or tried to sleep through it, that would help me for tonight. But it’s Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. I wasn’t going to miss this game.”
So, Holiday toughed it out. His offensive performance might have been impacted by his illness, though. Holiday didn’t display the scoring prowess he showed in Game 1, when he scored a season-high 28 points with multiple key buckets in the overtime win. He didn’t have the efficiency that he had in Game 2 either, when he shot 6 of 7 from the field to go with 10 assists.
But as Holiday scored 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting with three assists to three turnovers in Game 3, his inefficiency ultimately didn’t matter because of two plays he made in the final minute.
After the Celtics’ defense made a stop with under 50 seconds left, Jayson Tatum found Holiday as their offense was getting set. Holiday drove to the rim, got bumped by Pascal Siakam, and hit a shot to tie the game, 111-111, with 38.2 remaining. He hit the ensuing free throw to give Boston a one-point advantage.
“I think I just saw a chance and took an opportunity,” Holiday said of the bucket. “I felt like he was on his heels. He wasn’t really expecting me to attack downhill. So I attacked him and just tried to be aggressive and got the and-1.”
The Celtics got another stop on the ensuing possession, but Tatum’s missed layup meant that they had to prevent the Pacers from scoring again with under 10 seconds left. Indiana opted not to call a timeout so Boston couldn’t get its defense set.
Rick Carlise’s decision to attack the Celtics in transition looked like it might have worked. Andrew Nembhard appeared to catch Holiday off balance initially, but he didn’t take advantage. So, Holiday stepped up and swiped the ball away, running down the other end before getting fouled and eventually hitting two free throws to help seal the win for Boston.
Holiday kept it cool then when he described the play after the game.
“I think I just made a play,” Holiday said. “I feel like he’s a right-hand driver and he had been very, very aggressive all night. Great player, had a great game. Just made a play. I kind of jumped his right hand and got a steal.”
While Holiday made his game-sealing steal seem routine, his Celtics teammates were expressive in their appreciation for their All-Defensive guard.
“Man, that was unbelievable. That was an unbelievable play,” Al Horford said. “A guy like that coming full speed and having the instincts to do that. His instincts, he’s a winner. Ultimately, that’s what it comes down to. He’s a winner.”
“Jrue is different,” Jaylen Brown added. “Nothing really else to say. Jrue is just different.”
As Holiday didn’t have his best night offensively, his last-second steal of Nembhard was his third swipe of the game to go with a block. He helped serve as a catalyst for a lockdown defensive performance for the Celtics in the second half, allowing just 42 points after the Pacers scored 69 points in the first half while shooting nearly 70 percent (25 of 36) from within the arc.
Tatum remarked that Holiday’s instincts “are second to none on both ends of the floor” while coach Joe Mazzulla was also amazed by his final steal of the game.
“That’s a trademark steal that he always gets with the inside hand,” the Celtics coach said. “He gets that a lot, usually when a guy is coming down the sideline, but he got it in transition. I’ve been looking forward to a couple of those.”
Even though Holiday displayed a cough at the podium following Saturday’s win, there shouldn’t be any concern about his status for Game 4 as the Celtics seek to steal another road win to advance to the NBA Finals.
“I’m all right,” Holiday said of his condition. “A little fever here and there. Slept a lot, but I feel pretty good.”
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