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Tim BontempsESPN
INDIANAPOLIS – While the Boston Celtics have been on their way to the regular season – failing to meet their expectations before the high season – many people around the NBA were willing to abandon them as a potential option for go out of the Eastern Conference. At some point, according to the reasoning, the inconsistencies that have affected the Celtics throughout the season will eventually catch up and officially make this campaign a disappointment.
But despite the consistent nonchalant approach that has raged in Boston all season, there is still time for the Celtics to fend for themselves. And for those looking for reasons to believe that the Celtics may have the kind of season they were expecting, Friday night's 117-97 win over the Indiana Pacers is reminiscent of Boston's best.
This was without a doubt the biggest game of the season for the Celtics. Aside from the dramatic collapse of the Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics and Pacers will meet in the first round of the playoffs – and the winner of the Friday match between the two was all but assured of having the chance to win. advantage of the field on this series.
The Pacers could very well have been the third seed in the East if they had not lost star guard Victor Oladipo for the season with a torn quad tendon in January. Indiana, despite all its tenacity and nocturnal efforts, just does not have the Celtics' ceiling or any other real high level teams in the East.
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Nevertheless, this does not mean that Pacers will be easy to get – especially if they are given the benefit of playing at home. That meant Friday night's game was crucial for Boston, not only to make it easier to get out of the first round, but also to avoid having to go through three rounds of the playoffs as the underperforming team to qualify from l & # 39; Is.
"I think they're really tough," said Celtics coach Brad Stevens about the Pacers. "It was not their best match, and we know it – if you are not stuck in the moment against them, they will run or they will hit you."
That's why the way the Celtics came out and played this game is an encouraging sign for those who still believe that Boston should be considered a competitor. Faced with a Pacers team with a limited number of goals, Boston made things extremely difficult and never gave the Pacers a chance to get involved. If there had been no sensible and timely cuts to Indiana in the first half, this match could have been a rash at halftime.
Instead, the Celtics slowly and methodically took control as the game continued. Kyrie Irving was forced by Indiana to shoot hard, but he made them as he usually does. Gordon Hayward continued his momentum, winning 21 points and multiplying the nine shots he won. He also multiplied successes by preventing Indiana's defense.
"That's a lot of what I did when I was in Utah, finishing in the track with different types of finishes, one foot, two feet, a fade back, things like that, "said Hayward. "Some come back slowly, others are more explosive and can withstand the contact a bit better, keeping the balance in. It works well, and I have to keep attacking and coming to the line."
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Gordon Hayward uses a whimsical rotation to search for a basket while making a mistake.
Meanwhile, Al Horford has once again been a huge difference maker for Boston, finishing over-20 (second only behind Hayward's plus-23) and offering Indiana an ability that allows him to adjust the ground and shoot down the shots.
This is the version of Boston that was supposed to be present all season – the one that was supposed to be one of the top ranked teams for the first head of the East, without trying to gain the advantage of the field in the first round with a few games to play in the regular season.
"A lot more goals from the group," said Horford, recently questioned about Boston's game level, with the Celtics winning three straight wins and five of their last six. "The level of focus has been much better, and it's encouraging to see."
There have been too many ups and downs in this season's roller coaster, too many scar tissue accumulated over the last six months to say that everything is fine now and that the Celtics are ready to make the journey that they are supposed to have. .
One night the Celtics had to show up, they went there. Given how this season has gone, it's not nothing.
"We had the win," said Irving. "It's all that matters, we've done what it takes to get a convincing win like tonight playing hard, doing the right things, staying aggressive on the defensive side, aligning with the physical and really setting the tone.
"When we do that, we are pretty hard to beat."
It's a pretty simple formula, is not it? Nothing about this Celtics season, however, was simple. Still, the Celtics still have the opportunity to do everything they hoped for this season.
Friday's win was an indication that the Boston team was supposed to somehow reside in the Celtics. Whether it's a one-off thing or an indication of things to come, that's what will determine what will happen next: the breakthrough expected by fans of Boston or the ignominious end of their game this season has taken place.
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