POST GAME - INDY - AWAY

Celtics Wrap: Boston Overcomes Slow Start In 108-98 Win Over Pacers

NESN by Adam London on Sat, Nov 25, 2017 at 10:09PM

As the old saying goes, it’s now how you start, it’s how you finish. The Boston Celtics looked doomed for defeat on the second night of a back-to-back after an ugly first half, but the C’s responded in a big way in the final two quarters, rallying to defeat the Indiana Pacers 108-98. The C’s pulled off the road win despite the absences of two regular starters, as Jaylen Brown (personal leave) and Marcus Morris (knee) were not active for the game. Boston’s stars rose to the occasion, though, as Kyrie Irving (25 points, six assists) and Al Horford (21 points, six assists, five rebounds) led the way for the C’s. With the win, the Celtics improve to 18-3, while the Pacers fall to 11-9. Here’s how it all went down:

STARTING FIVE PG: Kyrie Irving SG: Marcus Smart SF: Jayson Tatum PF: Al Horford C: Daniel Theis

EFFICIENT PACERS Indiana didn’t take an overwhelming amount of shots in the first quarter, but it made its field goals count. The Pacers shot an impressive 70 percent from the field in the opening 12 minutes and held a 32-27 lead heading into the second. Lance Stephenson was strong in the first, posting 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including two 3-pointers. Horford, Smart and Irving led the way for the C’s with seven points apiece. Boston matched Indiana with 12 field goals made in the first, but it wasn’t very aggressive attacking the basket, which resulted in no free throws attempted.

STAGNANT SECOND The Celtics posted 40 first-quarter points in their Friday night win over the Orlando Magic, but Saturday, the C’s didn’t eclipse the 40-point threshold until there was 1:25 left in the second. Boston’s shooting woes continued in the second frame, as it converted on only seven of its 16 shots from the field and trailed Indiana 54-45 heading into the break. Neither team was particularly careful with the ball early on, as the two clubs combined for 20 first-half turnovers. The most glaring difference, however, was 3-point success. The Pacers buried half of their shots attempted from beyond the arc, while the Celtics only sunk 4 of their 15 3-point shots. Irving led all players with 15 first-half points and was Boston’s only double-digit scorer after two quarters.

THIRD-QUARTER THRIVING The Celtics lacked rhythm in the first half, but the green came out with a serious sense of urgency in the third quarter. Boston’s offense started to slick in the opening minutes of the second half, and it was able to take its first lead of the game on a Terry Rozier 3-pointer with 5:04 left in the quarter. The C’s didn’t let up, and held an 82-70 lead heading into the fourth after ending the third on a 19-4 run. Boston posted one of its most efficient quarters of the season in the third. The Celtics only missed four shots in the quarter, posting a 14-of-18 line from the field, including 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. Horford was the man in the third quarter with 12 points.

KYRIE THE CLOSER Irving only scored two points in the Celtics’ third-quarter rally, but the star guard was far more active on the scoring end when it mattered most. The Pacers flirted with a comeback later in the game, but Irving’s eight fourth-quarter points helped the Celtics put the game on ice. The C’s as a team once again were strong from the field late in the game, as they posted a collective 11-for-18 mark from the field in the fourth quarter.

PLAY OF THE GAME Kyrie puts Darren Collison on skates. UP

NEXT The Celtics return to action Monday night when they host the Detroit Pistons. Tip-off from TD Garden is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
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Celtics 108, Pacers 98: The night we learned Marcus Smart can shoot

WEEI Rob Bradford

The excuses were built in.

The Celtics were on the road on the second leg of a back-to-back. They were playing without both Jaylen Brown (who was attending the funeral of his friend) and Marcus Morris (knee management). And they fell into the kind of first-half hole against the Pacers that could have easily led to some early white flag waving.

There was another obstacle. Because they were missing the 27 combined points per game from Brown and Morris, the Celtics would have to lean on some sort of offense from starting off guard Marcus Smart. This was a player who was shooting 28 percent on two-point attempts, and even worse (24 percent) from beyond the 3-point stripe. In fact, Smart hadn't made more than three field goals in any of the last 10 games.

But, as has been the case throughout this Celtics season, they figured it out just in time.

The C's improved to 6-2 when trailing by double-digits, this time riding a second half which saw them score 63 points to claim a 108-98 win over Indiana in Indianapolis. And a big reason why this comeback was made possible was because of a not-so-subtle reminder by Smart that he has the ability to actually put the ball in the basket. (For a complete recap of the win, click here.)

Smart made 7-of-8 shots from the floor on the way to a 15-point night, adding in the other usual extras that have helped make this 18-3 juggernaut go.

There were others.

Kyrie Irving netted 25 points, and has now averaged 28 points per contest in the seven games since returning from the broken bone in his face. Al Horford played an inspirational second half, finishing with 21 points, marking the first time in five games that he has hit double-figures. And Terry Rozier followed up his career-high 24 points Friday night with another stellar offensive outing, going 7-of-9 from the field on the way to 17 points.

The Celtics will now play five straight home games, starting with the team with the second-best record in the NBA behind the C's, Detroit, Monday night. That will be followed by visits from Philadelphia (Thursday), Phoenix (Saturday), Milwaukee (Dec. 4) and Dallas (Dec. 6).

JBL Audio Stat of the Game: For Rozier it has been a drastic about-face, having scored the combined 41 points in the last two games after not cracking 16 points in any of his previous 132 career NBA games.
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Irving, Horford lead Celtics to 108-98 win vs. Pacers

NBC SPORTS BOSTON By A. Sherrod Blakely November 25, 2017 10:12 PM

INDIANAPOLIS - Kyrie Irving scored 25 points and Al Horford added 21 to lead the Boston Celtics to a 108-98 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.

Boston (18-3) outscored Indiana 37-16 in the third quarter to turn a nine-point deficit into an 82-70 lead entering the final quarter. Horford had 12 points during a period that saw Indiana record two three-minute scoring droughts.

Marcus Smart had 15 points and six rebounds for the Celtics. Terry Rozier scored 17 points off the bench.

The Pacers (11-9) were led by Myles Turner, who had 19 points but spent much of the night in foul trouble. Lance Stephenson had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Damontas Sabonis had 17 points and eight boards.

Victor Oladipo, leading Indiana with 22.9 points per game, did not play for the first time this season. He sat with a bruised right knee sustained in Friday's 107-104 win over Toronto.

TIP-INS

Celtics: F Jaylen Brown missed the game after remaining in the Atlanta area after attending the funeral of a friend. ... F Marcus Morris also sat out to rest his left knee.

Pacers: Six players finished in double figures for the second straight night. ... Indiana had 20 turnovers.

UP NEXT

Celtics: Hosts Detroit on Monday.

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GREAT WIN WITH 2 STARTERS OUT. ROZIER CAME TO PLAY TONIGHT. HE COULD BE SLOWLY WORKING INTO A KEY MAN OF THE TEAM. SMART HAD A GREAT GAME AS WEL. I JUST HOPE HIS SHOOTING HOLDS UP.

112288

The big question of the night is Rosalie ok after listening to Draper all night?

Good win last night without two regular starters. Shows this team has depth and does not fall apart with an injury or missed game for personal reasons.

Smart and Rozier may be the two most important players on this year's team. If they can play well like in the Indiana game the Cs could be really tough to beat.

I made it through the night Bob, but I have to tell you, that guy really rubs me the wrong way. He makes himself out to be such a basketball expert, but he is no different than you or I, except, as far as I am concerned, he is no Green Teamer.

I just hope this does not happen often because it will definitely force me to shut the voice off and do play by play in my head!!! Or just get my radio out and listen to Sean Grande and Maxcell!!!

Oh well, they won the game that is all that counted!

Played the first half like we were running through mud, a step slow.  When they came out for the 3rd Al Horford had a different look on his face, a different body language and really turned things around.  12 points in the 3rd to lead us to a 37 point quarter.  He was calling for the ball and looking for his shot and not so much to pass, and they weren't all outside shots neither.  He was posting every body up inside too.  7 points at the half, 19 after 3.  Regardless of who the top point scorer was last night Al Horford was the difference maker.  3 blocks.

Marcus Smart, Marcus Smart, what to do about Marcus Smart?  Starting in Jaylen's place he had, BY FAR, the best offensive game he has had in a VERY long time.  15 points on 7-8 and 1-2 from 3?!  Where TF did that come from?!  If starting is what gets this out of Smart then maybe we should start him and let Jaylen come off the bench?  This is not a knock on Jaylen but Marcus Smart scoring like this is a HUGE asset to this team.  The biggest downside to this idea, and it is a big downside, is that without Smart powering the 2nd unit they have no floor general.  We shot 56.3% last night and no small credit goes to Smart not shooting his more normal 4-14.  

Two years and 19 games into his career Terry Rozier never scored more than 16 points in a game.  In game 20 of this year he scored 23 and in game 21 he scored 17.  40 points in 2 games.  He's shooting 75% (15-20) and 70% (7-10) from 3 for those two games. an eFG% of 92.5%.  Just two games, his season-to-date shooting numbers still suck, but they won't for long if he keeps up this pace.  He also had 4 assists and zero TO in those games.  TRo took the bench's failure to score in the Miami game personal.  It's only two games, but they were two consecutive games which suggests it wasn't just "a good night".  This is what Sam used to call "a glimmer".  For those who didn't know Sam "a glimmer" wasn't just a good game, it was a good trend.  Rozier's defense has always been good.  If he finally figures out his shot and becomes even an average NBA shooter/scorer that is a big deal to a team that desperately needs scoring off the bench.  A couple more games scoring like this and you'll see a shift in how teams defend us when he is on the floor.  

Theis is struggling a bit finding his niche in the NBA.  Players like Thaddeus Young are too quick for him and bigger players are just pushing him around.  I'm not ready to throw him away, for sure, but he's seeing the differences between the NBA and the German League up-close-and-personal and it's an eye-opener for him.  5 fouls in 21 minutes for him but he got 5 boards.  He was held out of the Orlando game so he could be fresh and start this game.  He still only got 21 minutes because he was getting burned and picked up 5 fouls.  

Irving went off for 25 but credit to Collison for his defense.  Played great deny defense on Irving for much of the night.  If not, Irving would have scored 40.

Sabonis loves to play against us.  He killed us in several games when he was with OKC.  17 points on 5-13 but 7 rebounds, 4 offensive and, quite frankly, overpowered Theis in the low blocks.  A nice game for Domantas.  It would have been a disappointment for Arvydas, but Domantas is barely a chip off his old man's shoulder.

Boxscore:
http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400975032


















bob


.

In general, the whole team came back out in the second half with a different approach. Defense had to have been the topic on conversation at half time. I felt from the beginning of the game that Horford was working hard to get himself involved more, but definitely, in the second half he came out with determination and resolve.

Terry Rozier is beginning to realize there is a real place on this team for him if he produces the way he has the last two games. If he can rebound and defend the way he has done in those two games, his offense will continue to improve. There is something about him that makes me think this is going to happen.

I absolutely loved the way Smart played last night. He took what the game gave him, did not force shots that were impossible to make and ran the offense so well. He is such a bull out there, we can only hope this will continue, for his sake and ours.

Rosalie

Hi,
That was a good win. Thank you.
Re: Smart. Perhaps he should shoot within a limited range, say 15-17 ft. And, as Rosalie suggested, don't force the shots.
Speaking about shooting - I noticed that Baynes is very good from this range - I wonder if he should be given more opportunities, especially when he happens to participate in PNR: all attention goes to a guard and he's left all alone.

AK

I was expecting more mea culpa from the anti smart brigade out here - but disappointingly I see they have little to say after a rock solid outing.

mrkleen09 wrote:I was expecting more mea culpa from the anti smart brigade out here - but disappointingly I see they have little to say after a rock solid outing.

Mrkleen,

I suppose I'm one of the leading critics of Smart's shooting on this board.

Nothing would make me happier than for Smart to stop bumping his ass on the bottom of the NBA's fg% list but one good shooting game doesn't even qualify as a glimmer. Let me see him do it again, or even merely satisfactory, tomorrow against Detroit and then we'll see.


bob


.

bobheckler wrote:  Mrkleen,

I suppose I'm one of the leading critics of Smart's shooting on this board.  

Nothing would make me happier than for Smart to stop bumping his ass on the bottom of the NBA's fg% list but one good shooting game doesn't even qualify as a glimmer.  Let me see him do it again, or even merely satisfactory, tomorrow against Detroit and then we'll see.


bob


.

So, you guys can come out here and grill Smart after EVERY game - yet when he has a great offensive game (to be clear he has had a TON of good defensive games already), "...it doesnt even qualify as a glimmer"??  

Talk about wanting it both ways.

mrkleen09 wrote:

bobheckler wrote:  Mrkleen,

I suppose I'm one of the leading critics of Smart's shooting on this board.  

Nothing would make me happier than for Smart to stop bumping his ass on the bottom of the NBA's fg% list but one good shooting game doesn't even qualify as a glimmer.  Let me see him do it again, or even merely satisfactory, tomorrow against Detroit and then we'll see.


bob


.

So, you guys can come out here and grill Smart after EVERY game - yet when he has a great offensive game (to be clear he has had a TON of good defensive games already), "...it doesnt even qualify as a glimmer"??  

Talk about wanting it both ways.  

MrKleen,

"He had A great offensive game", as in singular.  Exactly.  We are in agreement.  See how easy that was?  

To qualify as a glimmer, and I'm using Sam's definition (which I agree with), it has to be indicative of a positive trend.  A single data point does not a trend make, but 3 1/4 straight years of data points can.  To start a new trend it would be nice to have some confidence that single data point wasn't a blip, an anomaly or an aberration and that requires more data points.  Fortunately the next data point opportunity is Monday.


bob


.

I hope this is the restart of Marcus' offense. In

I will say, he played within the confines of the game, did not try to take over and keep shooting. And Missing.

It is funny they said that he spent the summer with one of the assistant coaches working on his shooting technique. He was good in preseason, then all of a sudden it went crazy. Scal kept saying and Tommy agreed, that it was a technical problem with the way he shoots. He starts low, throws his arm out, the rhythm is all off. Hopefully, with some time in the gym they can correct it????????

A fair shooting Smart would be an All Star.

bobheckler wrote:

MrKleen,

"He had A great offensive game", as in singular.  Exactly.  We are in agreement.  See how easy that was?  

To qualify as a glimmer, and I'm using Sam's definition (which I agree with), it has to be indicative of a positive trend.  A single data point does not a trend make, but 3 1/4 straight years of data points can.  To start a new trend it would be nice to have some confidence that single data point wasn't a blip, an anomaly or an aberration and that requires more data points.  Fortunately the next data point opportunity is Monday.


bob


.

With all due respect, this is nothing more than talking out of both sides of your mouth. You are hiding behind this idea of "data points", as it suits you - but when shown the hypocrisy of your position - you move right past it. You are making the point of those of us who have said it is too soon to start the Marcus Smart panic train.

I am all for truth in data and well understand what a trend is. One game does not make a trend - I agree. Neither does 15 or 20 games. We are way too early in the 2017-18 season to make ANY reasonable statements on where things will finish. Yet that didnt stop many of you (yourself included) from calling out Smart very early in the season, WAY TOO EARLY to for his play to represent any kind of "trend".

I am not thrilled with Marcus on the offensive end this year to this point - but I know it is a LONG SEASON and I know his value is much more than the sum of its parts.

Either you are going to give Smart a chance over 41 games or reach his level before you criticise him, or you are going to continue to call him out after every bad game - in which case you need to eat some crow and give him credit after every good game. You cant have it both ways.

Oh come on. Marcus has historically low shooting numbers through 1/4 of a season following poor numbers in seasons before. He is a valuable player but sucks as a shooter and needs to improve thzt aspect of his game. Period.

I’d be thrilled if he could get to 40% FG, that would help the team so much

mrkleen09 wrote:

bobheckler wrote:

MrKleen,

"He had A great offensive game", as in singular.  Exactly.  We are in agreement.  See how easy that was?  

To qualify as a glimmer, and I'm using Sam's definition (which I agree with), it has to be indicative of a positive trend.  A single data point does not a trend make, but 3 1/4 straight years of data points can.  To start a new trend it would be nice to have some confidence that single data point wasn't a blip, an anomaly or an aberration and that requires more data points.  Fortunately the next data point opportunity is Monday.


bob


.

With all due respect, this is nothing more than talking out of both sides of your mouth.  You are hiding behind this idea of "data points", as it suits you - but when shown the hypocrisy of your position - you move right past it.  You are making the point of those of us who have said it is too soon to start the Marcus Smart panic train.

I am all for truth in data and well understand what a trend is.  One game does not make a trend - I agree.  Neither does 15 or 20 games.  We are way too early in the 2017-18 season to make ANY reasonable statements on where things will finish.  Yet that didnt stop many of you (yourself included) from calling out Smart very early in the season, WAY TOO EARLY to for his play to represent any kind of "trend".

I am not thrilled with Marcus on the offensive end this year to this point - but I know it is a LONG SEASON and I know his value is much more than the sum of its parts.

Either you are going to give Smart a chance over 41 games or reach his level before you criticise him, or you are going to continue to call him out after every bad game - in which case you need to eat some crow and give him credit after every good game.  You cant have it both ways.  

MrKleen,

There is a reason why drafted rookies are signed to 4 year contracts, often with a 5th year team option as a RFA.  The reason is there is a learning curve that, many think, takes 3 years to flatten out.  The first 3 years are player development, the 4th year is the team having access to that developed player on the rookie contract scale and then a 5th of that player while probably still cheap since teams don't usually bid like crazy for RFAs (or trade them in year 4 when they make the jump and look good and still have another year where the acquiring team has control with them as a restricted free agent).

Marcus Smart is now in his 4th year.  He has fully completed his first 3 years.  His best shooting year was his rookie year, 36.7%.  So far, through 19 games played for him, his fg% is 29.1%.  That is a career worst.  In fact, it's not even close to the #2 worst year, which was 34.8%.  His 3pt fg% this year is 25.0%.  He is not, and has never been, a good shooter.

Therefore:
1.   if you are saying that 3 years of shooting, in which his shooting has been awful, is not enough data to say that Marcus Smart is a bad shooter, we're just going to have to agree to disagree.

2.  if you are saying that 1/4 year of shooting, with this year being the worst yet, is not enough data to say that Marcus Smart's shooting has not taken a step up despite having the entire summer to fix it, we're just going to have to agree to disagree.

3.  if you are saying that we should ignore the 181 fgas he took this year before the last 8 he took in the Indy game because his fg% in those 181 are awful and the last 8 fgas should be given greater weight just because there will be hundreds more to come, we're just  going to have to agree to disagree.  The hundreds of future fgas will apply their weight to the numbers when they happen.

4.  if you are saying that it is unreasonable to ask to see Marcus Smart have another good shooting game or two to prove the Indy game wasn't a fluke, we're just going to have to agree to disagree.


Every other aspect of Marcus Smart's game is exemplary.  He is a great defender.  Not just a good defender, not just a superior defender, he is elite.  He has turned into an acceptable point guard and floor general.  He is a team leader in the locker room and on the floor.  He is tougher than titanium nails, both physically and mentally, but his shooting sucks.  Period.  And I can prove it.

Marcus Smart is 55-189 so far this season.  If he hits his next 55 fgas in a row his fg% would be 45%.  That's what it would take for Marcus Smart to be a decent, not great, decent shooter.  55 straight fgm.  If he shoots 50% on his next 189 fgas (95-189) he would still only be shooting 39.7% on the season, which would still suck but I'd be more than happy to say that he has turned the corner on his shooting if he shoots 50% for the next 189 fgas.  I would also be very happy with a Marcus Smart shooting 40% on limited fgas/game (say, 8?) on the season, very happy indeed.


bob


.

Complaining about Marcus Smart's shooting everyday is like moving to Boston and then spending everyday bitching about the cold weather.  

He is what he is and if this is news to anyone out here, I wonder where you have been.  By the end of the season, he will improve his rebounding, improve his assists, improve his leadership, and his shooting % will settle in around 35%, same as every other year.

At the end of the year, DA will make an assessment and we will see where we land.

In the meantime, Brad Stevens continues to give him key minutes down the stretch in every game - and the Celtics continue to be the best team in the NBA.

C'est La Vie

Dont know where in Boston you live, but bitching about the cold weather everyday is NOT the norm around here.

I didn't watch the game so can't really comment on the play.

I've been saying for some time, (and I do believe I am in the running for most consistent and harshest Marcus critic) that he was due for a big game. He has them every once in a great while.

well he had his big game. Now what? Based on past performance I expect he will have a decent game tonight. But within a few games I expect him to start missing again in a big way. Am I talking out of both sides of my mouth? Does Smart's play exemplify playing out of both sides of his body?

It's been a long time since we were all on bdc wailing against each other. But we can't escape our karma. So from time to time we go too far in characterizing other people's opinion. We all want people to agree with us and when they don't it can be difficult to not accuse and belittle. I know I have struggled with this.

It's difficult to see the game, have an idea of what is going on, and then present this in a way that doesn't offend someone if you are finding fault with one of their idols. But this forum was founded to help us fight against that tendency. So I am slowly learning how not to respond with personal accusations when someone posts an opinion that I disagree with.

I've changed how I post on the game to reflect my understanding that an alternative view can be distressing to my fellow board members. I've tried to frame my criticism of Smart in a different way other than just laying the facts on the table because those facts won't be accepted by the Smart fan(atic). (It is recent so only a small sample size lol) But I really shouldn't have to do that. I shouldn't have to post differently because I am expecting to get a personal attack when personal attacks run contrary to the board rule of conviviality. I also shouldn't have to change the way I post to accommodate someone else's view of how things should be done.

If I want to criticize Marcus and not acknowledge when he has a good game, that is my right. No one should demand otherwise. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. I can still remember how I felt when everyone was attacking Rondo all the time. I did my best to fight that criticism and often got way too defensive. I eventually resorted to asking, if Rondo was such a cancer, why was it he maintained the support of his team? And still does? But that is a conversation that will never go anywhere in changing people's opinions. Because opinions are personal decisions for the most part, we are called upon to learn to show respect even if we don't believe respect for that opinion is called for. It's the convivial thing to do.