Celtics Notebook: Jayson Tatum is ready for Game 1, Jaylen Brown happy to start or come off bench

The Celtics may have lost Marcus Smart on the injury front this week, but the news has been good when it comes to the rest of the team's health over the last few days. The C's held their third and final practice of the weekend before their series against the Pacers kicks off on Sunday.

Jayson Tatum was bothered by a bruised shin but has participated fully over the last couple of days and Brad Stevens says he's good to go for Game 1. Jaylen Brown has played a couple of games since returning from back spasms last week but his progress continues to move in the right direction.

"I'm feeling good," he said Saturday. "It's Christmas time. This is the best time of the year, for sure. My back has been getting better every day. There's a little bit of tightness, but the more and more I get treatment, the more and more the days pass, I don't even feel it, so I'll be fine."

Brown appears poised to be the starting shooting guard on Sunday afternoon in place of an injured Smart. Stevens refused to reveal his hand on the starter ahead of time, but Gordon Hayward's ballhandling ability off the bench makes Brown a smarter bet for now. Either way, Brown is primed for a big role and eager for the opportunity after a strong finish to the season for him individually.

"It don't matter to me," Brown said of starting. "It's not my decision, my call. I've just got to be ready. Whatever happens, I didn't wake up and put on the green jersey for a reason. I just threw this sucker on. It just happened to fall like that. But, whatever it is, it doesn't matter to me. I'll be ready."

Stevens acknowledged earlier in the week he is leaning in one direction on the starting five but does not think the comfort level of Hayward or Brown coming off the bench recently will impact his decision. 
"Yeah, I mean in the playoffs it’s different," Brown said of adjusting in the playoffs to a new role. "Matchups, everything comes into consideration, so at the end of the day it just becomes basketball. We just want to be on the floor. It doesn’t matter — in the playoffs it doesn’t matter if you’re starting, coming off the bench, or sweeping the floor. You just want to be out there, especially with the Celtics, because it’s one of the best environments, probably the greatest in the NBA."

The main purpose for whoever will be at the shooting guard spot will be slowing down Bojan Bogdanovic, who has averaged 18 points per game to lead the Pacers since Victor Oladipo went down for the year. The crafty veteran can change games with his outside shooting and Smart had done a good job keeping him in check in the recent two matchups. That onus will fall on Brown, Hayward and Jayson Tatum now.
"Just being aggressive," Brown said of his strategy in defending Bogdanovic. "He’s on a roll. He’s a really good player. So I’m just trying to take his rhythm away and respect what he does best. He’s playing really well. This past year is probably one of the best years he’s had in his NBA career. So I want to be respectful and at the same time I want to come out and be aggressive and take some of that rhythm away."

Aron Baynes thinks the key to the first round is quite simple: Doing what the head coach wants them to do: "Our key in every game is following Brad’s system. If we stick within Brad’s system, that’s when we look good, that’s when we play well. He has them very well-scouted, he has us knowing what we need to do, and it’s a matter of making the most of every possession, going out there and valuing the ball. For me, it starts on the defensive end – if I can go out there and impact the defense, that will be a good thing for our team."
Stevens is not worried about the implications of the summer factoring into the team's attitude over the next few weeks: "To be real candid, I don’t think anybody is thinking about what happens this summer at all," Stevens said. "I think we’ve got a sense of urgency because this is the playoffs and this is what we’re all really excited about doing. It’s been a year, well documented, that has been up and down from what we would have hoped, but that’s part of it. And now, we get to hit a little bit of a reset button and get after it, and we know that you have to get after it. So I don’t think anybody’s thinking about what happens after. I think everybody’s thinking about what we need to do tomorrow to win."
Daniel Theis has not gotten much attention in the wake of Smart's injury but he's poised to see more minutes than usual against the Pacers big front line. "I just think you have to be big against those guys for spurts of the game at least," Stevens said. "Theis has been really good because he’s been on call. He’s like the guy that can sit the first two-and-a-half quarters, come in in the third and impact the game and play right away and impact the game. There might be a moment that Baynes gets in foul trouble and we have to play Horford and Theis more minutes together, and that’s something I feel really comfortable with. They complement each other. Al’s ability to play inside and out gives us a great deal of flexibility to play other bigs with him."