Celtics-Pacers: 3 takeaway courses from Boston's first round

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INDIANAPOLIS – The Celtics completed their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night, winning their first sweep since the 2011 playoffs.

"It feels good," said Marcus Morris with a smile after the fourth game. "We have time to spot the team of our choice, we have time to rest, were excited."

After winning a game outside the TD Garden during last year's playoff race, the Celtics have won two decisive victories at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The victories on the road will become even more important in the future, as they will have no advantage on their court against their likely second round opponent, the Milwaukee Bucks.

Here's what we learned from the first Boston series:

'Playoff Kyrie' has several dimensions.

The Celtics fans had their first glimpse of 'Playoff Kyrie' in green and white when he scored 37 points, including nine in a row in the fourth quarter, in the second game to give a new double-digit start. Irving's goals seemed easy, dazzling, with vivid finishes on the edges and three sharp, but consecutive points.

Going back to the NBA Finals 2017, Irving has totaled at least 20 points in six of his last nine playoff games. During this period, he scored an average of 23.3 points per game on a shot of 45.5%.

But Irving's game is not limited to illuminating the dashboard. In the third game, when the Pacers made defensive adjustments in an attempt to shut him down, he posted his playing abilities by handing out 10 assists. Irving said that after the match he had focused on the involvement of others so his teammates could "[put] their footprint on the game too. "

"He has always had an extreme gift for the passes," coach Brad Stevens said before the fourth game. "He can really go in. He knows the game. He has seen all the defenses, so it's just a matter of playing at the speed of the game, which is difficult."

Irving's presence was also felt on the defensive, where he scored at least five goals in three games of the series. During the four competitions, he also fired two charges, scored 10 deflections at the top of the team and recorded five interceptions. The most exciting highlight, however, was his blocking in the first quarter of the third match.

The depth of the Celtics shows.

Because 'Playoff Kyrie' is such a threat, the Pacers have often recruited a double team to try to contain it. Although the strategy was somewhat effective in the third and fourth games, Irving did not score more than 20 points on both of these outings – the attention he commanded opened up opportunities for his teammates.

As a result, several players have left their mark on the series.

In Game 1Morris kept the team afloat in the first quarter. In the second match, Jayson Tatum again emerged as a budding superstar, slipping the game with a dunk in the last 10 seconds. In Game 3Jaylen Brown was almost perfect on the field, beating all of his nine attempts. And in the fourth game, Gordon Hayward and Morris took over in the fourth quarter to give the Celtics an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter.

"Obviously, I know how great I am with the ball, but we're even more special as a team when I'm aggressive and I get out of the ball and make good decisions as well." said Irving. said after match 4.

"We have guys who understand the goal ahead," added Morris. "I think it shows on the ground. We support each other. At each match, someone else starts. Our depth has been a strong point for us. "

One of the most important assets of this team is its arsenal of star power, with several weapons capable of impacting the offensive and defensive back – and it shows at the right time. Due to the absence of the Marcus Smart Shooting Guard, who is recovering from a partially torn oblique muscle, Boston's depth will be tested even more during the second round.

The initial starting composition begins to take shape.

After a disappointing start to the 10-10 season, Hayward and Brown were quickly replaced in the starting rotation by Smart and Morris.

According to NBA tracking data, the much-anticipated Irving-Tatum-Brown-Hayward-Horford formation totaled only 145 minutes in the regular season, recording an offensive score of 93.2% and a defensive score of 94.6 for a net score of -1.4. For reference, Golden State's most-used starter team had a 121.3 offensive rating and a 102.7 defensive score for a net score of 18.7, while the Milwaukee Bucks had an offensive rating. 110.7 and a defensive rating of 6.2.

The Celtics starting five were clearly underperforming.

"I just think that expectations and pressures were high at the beginning of the year," Horford said.

Stevens has since revisited beginners to close the games. In the first three games of the series against the Pacers, the formation recorded 13 minutes, posting an offensive score of 123.3 and a defensive score of 110.0 for a net score of 13.3 – a clear improvement.

"We spent a year together, so we understand what we need to do on the ground," Horford said. "I just think we all needed to understand how we had to play, and we had to change composition almost all year."

Even if the composition is clicking, do not expect Stevens to start it. He repeated throughout the season that the one who finishes is more important than the one who starts.

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