The Boston Celtics squeezed out a win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. They took down the Pacers 133-128 in overtime after a miraculous Jaylen Brown corner three sent them to OT in the first place.
Here are three things you might have missed from this game.
1. Derrick White with the ball
This play is merely a vessel to portray how the Celtics’ late-game offense ran. There were certainly some hiccups along the way, but Boston put the ball in the hands of their best offensive initiator: Derrick White.
Jayson Tatum and Brown got their chances, but the Celtics’ offense ran overwhelmingly through White, and when that’s the case, good things usually happen.
2. This Game 2 could be different
Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Celtics have lost two games, and they have both been Game 2s. But heading into Game 2 on Thursday, Boston is in a different headspace. They aren’t coming off a blowout like they were against the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. They’re ready to lock in.
“I think come with the mindset of ‘don’t relax’ and different circumstances,” Tatum said of how the Celtics can avoid another Game 2 let-down. “First two rounds, we won our first Game 1 by a wide margin. Maybe human nature played a factor into that.
“But tonight being a close game, going into overtime, they certainly feel like they probably should have won, and we feel like we can play a lot better. So, I’m excited for us to come out and respond and just do a better job of protecting home-court than we have done recently.”
3. More zero expectations vibes
This is cheating a bit because we’re using another quote, but this is another example of the Celtics needing to have zero expectations. Joe Mazzulla has preached it all year, and it’s never been more true.
This game was ugly, the Celtics didn’t play their best, and the Pacers looked great, but Boston still won anyway. They set aside expectations and just played the game in front of them. And in the end, they got the job done.
“You just can’t have any expectations about how it’s supposed to go,” Mazzulla said. “You miss a layup, you miss a three, you give up something, it just doesn’t matter. And I thought our guys had that kind of mindset.”
