20190420

综述

INDIANAPOLIS -- This is the adversity Kyrie Irving has been talking about.

Boston did not play its best game of the season, or of this series with the Indiana Pacers getting a clear and undeniable bump from playing in front of their own fans.

But when it mattered, it was Boston making the tough shots, getting the defensive stops and rebounds and in doing so, are on the verge of ending this first-round series in as little time as possible after Friday’s 104-96 Game 3 win.

The victory gives Boston a 3-0 series lead with a chance to close out the series on Sunday.

Boston kept the Pacers faithful quiet for most of the first half, only for Indiana to close out the second quarter with a 26-10 run to lead 61-59 at the half.

The Celtics spent a good chunk of the second half with a slim lead, with the Pacers doing just enough to stay within striking range.

But when it mattered the Celtics did what they had done in the first two games - close things out playing strong.

And in doing so, they are positioned to sweep the Pacers.

Here are some of the standout performers in Friday’s game.

MVP

Jaylen Brown

The importance of Kyrie Irving down the stretch goes without saying for the Celtics. But for large chunks of the game, it was Jaylen Brown’s play at both ends of the floor that really stood out for Boston. He would finish the night with another solid job defensively against Bojan Bogdanovic (15 points on 6-for-16 shooting) while scoring 23 points himself.

Most Improved

Kyrie Irving

Speaking of Kyrie Irving, his impact was steady for the first three quarters but as we’ve seen from him in the past he took it to another level in the fourth. He would finish with a double-double of 19 points and 10 assists to go with five rebounds.

Jayson Tatum

For the second time in as many games, Jayson Tatum came through with a strong game, finishing with 18 points on 8-for-16 shooting.

Turning point

Boston, leading 93-89, got a 3-pointer from Al Horford to go ahead 96-89 which put the Pacers in the kind of hole they could not climb their way out of.

Sixth Men

Tyreke Evans

He was really the most impactful player for the Indiana Pacers. He would finish with 19 points which is usually a good thing for Indiana which had a 10-3 regular season record when he scored at least 15 points. Now 10-4, the only team to beat them in the Eastern Conference when Evans has 15 or more is the Celtics who did it back in January and again Friday night.

Marcus Morris

It was indeed a night of redemption for Morris who followed a 20-point Game 1 performance with a big fat goose egg in Boston’s Game 2 win. On Friday, Morris was somewhere in between, which is a good thing for Boston, as he tallied 11 points and seven rebounds.

Duds

Myles Turner

He has spent the lead-up to the last two games talking about needing the ball more. Well, he got his wish but couldn’t deliver the monster game Indiana needed from him He tallied 13 points but did so on 4-for-10 shooting from the field in addition to grabbing seven rebounds.

Up next: Boston has a chance to close out the series on Sunday with Game 4 at Bankers Life FieldHouse at 1 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS – Jaylen Brown has promised that there’s more to his game than he’s shown, and Friday night the young Celtics wing tossed a firecracker onto the floor in the guise of three 3-pointers in the first quarter of the Celtics Game 3 win over the Pacers.

Though the Celtics wouldn’t remain hot, Brown set an early tone for them on his way to 23 points on 8-for-9 shooting, including four 3-pointers. He became the first Celtic since Raef LaFrentz on April 23, 2005 (also against Indiana) to score at least 20 points on 88 percent shooting.

“It’s just every game varies, every game is different,” said Brown. “Game 1 was much different from Game 3. So I just try to be locked in and be aggressive when I’m out there. Things are going to change, lineups are going to be switched around. Just try to come out and be aggressive and tonight some shots happened to fall.”

Familiar territory

When Kyrie Irving talks of being the man who can pull the Celtics through the playoff gauntlet, he’s drawing on one of the greatest moments in NBA playoff history – his game-winning 3-pointer over Steph Curry in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals.

He made the shot in Oracle Arena. No shot, taken in a hostile arena, could be bigger.

“It’s definitely one of those experiences and memories that sticks with me, it’ll stick with me for the rest of my career just because of obviously the circumstances we were under,” Irving said during yesterday’s shootaround. “We had really nothing to lose at that point. We were down 3-1 and just went out and just really accomplished something bigger than ourselves.”

Irving is now trying to show his teammates how to accomplish something bigger.

“I just try to take that experience and give it to my teammates of what Indiana’s going to be like, of what the road’s going to be like, especially in the playoff atmosphere,” he said. “I’m going to make some mistakes. We’re all going to make some mistakes. But it’s always about the most important thing and that’s staying together. I’ve talked about it throughout the season but a 14-point lead in the playoffs can be erased in a matter of three minutes, just waiting for the other team to get undisciplined or they get comfortable or they think that the game is over. You’re always in the game if you stay together.”

Road mentality

The Celtics returned to the postseason road Friday night with the knowledge that their average regular season road record (21-20) was a reflection of last year’s 1-7 playoff road record. And yet they came within one game of reaching the finals.

“I just think that it’s all about the mentality,” Irving said of winning on the road in the playoffs. “It’s just another game, different hoops, same basketball. Just try to minimize whatever the fears may be of just coming out here and doing your job. It’s not about the crowd, it’s not about anything else. It’s about the guys that we’ve got on the bench and just staying very positive wherever the game may be. It can fluctuate so much, so just staying the course and just staying patient.”

As much as Gordon Hayward has marveled over the Garden crowd’s playoff presence, he understands that the Celtics now have to learn to survive without that emotional support.

“We gotta stay together, they’re going to make runs, the crowd’s going to be into it,” said Hayward. “That’s one thing that helped us out in coming back last game was our crowd. We were able to hit a couple shots and the crowd gets right back into it and gives you a little boost of energy. On the road you don’t have that and you’re fighting against it. We have to stay together.”

Yes, the Celtics’ road personae is a painful subject.

“What was our record on the road? It wasn’t very good,” said Brad Stevens. “I don’t know about comfortable. I don’t think you’re ever comfortable. You shouldn’t be comfortable. It’s good to be uncomfortable. I like being uncomfortable. I hope that we feel that way the whole game, that we have to make sure we are on edge and ready to roll each possession, because every possession matters that much more. I mean, you watch the playoffs, come backs happen like that. Regardless, every possession matters.”

Back to normal

Al Horford’s one-night bout with the flu, which he followed up with a 37-minute appearance in Game 2 Sunday, turned out to be fortunately short. He was back to normal yesterday.

“Turns out when you play 16 straight minutes it cures all that ails you,” said Stevens. “It must have just been a one-night, maybe something he ate, I don’t know. But he’s feeling pretty well.”