Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from decisive Game 3 win vs. Pacers
By Joe Hagen
3. The Jays are back in postseason form
In Game 2, Jayson Tatum dominated in a secondary role to Kyrie Irving’s brilliance. In Game 3, Jaylen Brown held the fort down on offense (with help from Tatum) while Irving took a few quarters to find himself.
In the first three games of this series, both Brown and Tatum have done great things for their team that both elevated the its performance and gave them a raised individual profile.
While ideally Marcus Smart would be guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player (in this instance, Bojan Bogdanovic), his injury has forced Jaylen Brown into the role as the team’s primary stopper, where he’s flourished.
Through three games, the Pacers’ best scorer has been held to an inefficient 50 total points, shooting just 38.7 percent from the field. Along with his defense, Brown has contributed on offense in an opportunistic role, scoring a game-high 23 points on just nine shots from the floor in Game 3.
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Tatum, on the other hand, has been a rock on offense this series, as well as playing solid defense on 3-and-D wing Wesley Matthews. Averaging 18.6 points per game, Tatum’s consistency on offense has been huge for the Celtics in cracking the Pacers’ stifling defense just enough to secure wins.
After what the world witnessed from these two last postseason, another run of excellence will have everyone excited about Boston’s future. With both young wings seeming to click at the perfect time, the Celtics are shaping up to be a handful to prepare for against any team these playoffs can throw at them.