BOSTON – For most teams that make an unexpected run towards the playoffs like the Indiana Pacers are doing, the genesis of such a surge is an upset win.
Back on Feb. 9, the Pacers came into the TD Garden with a 6-5 record over their previous 11 games and left with a 97-91 win over the Celtics.
Since then, Indiana has won eight of its last 11 and finds itself just a half-game behind Cleveland for the third-best record in the East.
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That Feb. 9 game had great significance for the Celtics as well.
It was the first of three straight losses for Boston prior to the all-star break, raising lots of questions and concerns about whether the Celtics were as good as their overall record might indicate.
Boston Celtics
In hindsight, their last matchup was an eye-opener for both teams.
The Pacers (39-26) saw their potential unfold in a quality road win, while the Celtics’ comeback hopes from a 26-point deficit were good but not enough to win.
As they prepare for tonight’s game, the lessons from that night are on display with two of the hottest teams in the East going at it with a similar goal: to improve their playoff position.
Toronto is doing its part to pull away from the rest of the East, with the Celtics (46-20) the only legitimate threat to knocking the Raptors off as a potential top seed in the East.
And the Pacers continue to climb the NBA standings which has caught the eye of many, including the Celtics who are aware of Indiana being on their heels.
“They’ve had a good year and I’m really impressed in watching the Pacers,” said Celtics head coach Brad Stevens. “They’ve done a great job.”
GOING OVERBOARD
As mentioned earlier, the Pacers have been an elite team in several areas of play since beating Boston on Feb. 9. When it comes to rebounding, there really hasn’t been anyone better than the Pacers who have averaged a league-best 48.4 rebounds per game since the February win at Boston.
NO JAYLEN BROWN, NO PROBLEM
The concussion suffered by Jaylen Brown against Minnesota on Thursday will keep him out tonight and most likely the rest of this week. There’s no mistaking having Brown makes Boston a better, more complete team. But the Celtics have managed to find success when he has not been able to suit up which is clear by the team’s 7-2 record in the past two seasons when he has been unavailable.
LEAGUE LEADERS
The Boston Celtics have a pair of long, rangy 3-point snipers in their starting lineup which speaks to how the game, particularly when it comes to 3-point shooting, has changed. Celtics rookie forward Jayson Tatum has been among the NBA’s best 3-point shooters all season. The 6-foot-8 forward is currently seventh in the league while connecting on 43.1 percent of his 3’s taken this season. Literally right behind him is teammate Al Horford, a 6-10 forward/center who comes into tonight’s game shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range and is eighth in the NBA. Of the players in the top 10, only one player – Indiana’s Darren Collison who is 6-0 – is under 6-7.
TRANSITION GAME
The Pacers have been playing with better pace lately, and that has led to them getting out in transition for easy baskets more often. Since Feb. 9, Indiana has averaged 15.4 fast-break points which is seventh in the league while Boston has allowed just 11.3 fast-break points during that span which ranks seventh in fewest fast-break points allowed.
ABOVE THE BREAK 3’S
This is one of Boston’s favorite ways to score, and for good reason: they’re good at it. For the season, they are shooting 36.8 percent on above-the-break 3-pointers which ranks sixth in the league. They have been slightly better since the all-star break, connecting on 39.9 percent of their above-the-break 3’s according to NBA.com/stats. In Indiana, Boston faces one of the league’s best at defending the above-the-break 3-pointer. Since the all-star break, teams have shot just 30.6 percent against the Pacers on above-the-break 3’s which ranks third in the NBA. For the season, teams have connected on 33.3 percent of their above-the-break 3’s against Indiana which is second in the league to – who else? – the Boston Celtics who have allowed opponents to connect on a league-low 33.0 percent of their above-the-break 3’s.