BOSTON — It only took an Andrew Nembhard free throw in the third quarter to push the Celtics into a 20-point deficit against the Pacers on Monday night — a spot that didn’t faze head coach Joe Mazzulla
the slightest.
“Being down 12 in the third quarter, I’m pretty comfortable with that because you see it around the league all the time — how many possessions are left — and you just have to chip away,” Mazzulla said.
The Pacers, a team ranking second-to-last in first-quarter scoring, quickly threatened Boston’s bid for a fourth consecutive win with a rare 35-point opening quarter. Indiana knocked down eight 3-pointers and played aggressive defense, holding the Celtics to just 26 points before the start of the second — an encouraging foundation for the Tyrese Haliburton-less, reigning Eastern Conference champions.
Still, that wasn’t enough to shake Mazzulla.
Even as Indiana’s lead steadily grew entering halftime and into the third quarter, Mazzulla (unsurprisingly) welcomed what the scoring margin offered the Jayson Tatum-less Celtics: perspective. Rather than panic at being down 20 points to the Pacers, the unproven Celtics took the adversity in stride, turning it into not only a 103-95 comeback win, but a validation of Mazzulla’s philosophy. It reinforced everything he’s stood for since turning his interim tag into a head-coaching job three seasons ago: embracing the hardships of an NBA season and getting comfortable with the uncomfortable.
“You just have to have an understanding of, ‘OK, what are we doing well? What do we have to do better?’ regardless of the score,” Mazzulla said. “I also told the guys, ‘Listen, there are (53) games left. You have to earn wins. It’s the NBA.’ We were down 12 in the third — that’s almost a tied game in the NBA. Even a 20-point game in the third is nothing. It triggers an emotion, and in reality, you just have to have perspective that there are so many possessions left in the game.”
The mindset isn’t rooted in foolish optimism or wishful thinking. Objectively, Mazzulla is right — and that doesn’t mean catching up in situations like Monday night’s isn’t a tall task. The point he made was that it’s not an insurmountable obstacle either, and that it doesn’t matter who’s playing or sidelined.
Boston didn’t have defensive juggernaut Jordan Walsh, who had logged 16 straight starts dating back to Nov. 12, at its disposal — a major hit. Walsh’s surge this season has seen the 21-year-old carve out a critical role in the Celtics’ starting lineup as an emerging defensive force, giving the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Donovan Mitchell, Cade Cunningham, and Austin Reaves more trouble than they could handle on that side of the ball.
As Mazzulla preached, the Celtics had to — and did — “chip away” at the situation in front of them.
That meant leaving behind the 17-point second quarter, in which Boston shot 8-of-21 (38.1%) from the floor and made just one 3-pointer. It also required team leader Jaylen Brown to conquer his ice-cold first half — 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting and a minus-20 rating, tied with teammate Derrick White for the worst of any player heading into the third quarter.
To Brown, the four-time All-Star felt obligated to salute the energy provided by the Boston faithful in attendance.
“The crowd helped us out,” Brown said. “Being on our home floor, we don’t want to take that for granted. When the crowd gets behind us, the Garden can be one of the harder places to play. So once we got it going a little bit, the crowd got it going, and I think it made it tough on Indiana.”
Brown’s refueling from TD Garden’s atmosphere brought a different kind of beast out of him. In the fourth quarter, he outscored the Pacers 14-13 as Mazzulla’s blueprint for victory came to life. Brown shot 5-of-9, grabbed five rebounds, and recorded a block in the game’s final 12 minutes, rewarding the efforts of his teammates who helped erase the 20-point deficit. Everyone bought into Mazzulla’s message, and everyone had a hand in putting the Pacers away on a night where it seemed improbable.
Mazzulla, too, inserted himself into the energy switch. When Baylor Scheierman launched a bad pass toward the Boston sideline, Mazzulla caught the ball and refused to hand it over to Indiana’s Johnny Furphy until an official walked over to retrieve it, firing up the crowd with a boisterous response. His antics mirrored the team’s urgency, amplifying the momentum that would carry Boston through the rest of the game.
Boston’s bench outscored Indiana’s 32-18, and for the second straight game, the Luka Garza–Hugo González duo played a vital role in complementing the starters.
“It’s a team game,” Garza said. “Not every night is every player going to have it to start the game, so we all rely on each other. That’s a part of team basketball. We rely on each other to pick up the other person when they’re down, get them in rhythm, and then they go. I think tonight we did that.”
Garza (six points, nine rebounds) and González (six points, 11 rebounds) each flirted with their second consecutive double-doubles, highlighting the importance of Boston’s depth. Garza once again paved the way for second-chance points, leading the team with a game-high five offensive rebounds, while González served as a defensive force, doing whatever it took to extend Boston’s possessions.
By the time Red Auerbach, lighting up a cigar, appeared on TD Garden’s jumbotron, Garza was drenched in sweat, as if he had just finished running the Boston Marathon in 90-degree heat. It was a gratifying reminder to Garza and the Celtics that their greatest strength lies in their commitment to riding the ebbs and flows of a season that has already presented Boston with more challenges than the organization has seen in years.
The Pacers were only the latest test, not the final exam.
