Final: Celtics 126, Pacers 110 - Jaylen Brown drops 40, C's take Game 2

BOSTON CELTICS vs. INDIANA PACERS

Eastern Conference Finals, Game 2

Boston leads 1-0

TD Garden, 8 p.m. - ESPN

Line: Boston -8.5

INJURIES

Boston: Kristaps Porzingis (OUT, calf)

Indiana: Benedict Mathurin (OUT, shoulder)

SERIES

Game 1: Celtics 133 - Pacers 128

The Celtics exploded out of the gate on a 12-0 run and held a lead of about seven for most of the quarter but the Pacers whipped off a late 11-5 run to make a three-point game after one. The Celtics got the lead back up to 10 but the Pacers shot the lights out, led by Myles Turner, to tie the game at the half. The Celtics methodically built a 13-point lead in the third, but a 16-4 answer cut the lead to just one heading into the fourth. Jrue Holiday carried Boston for a while, but the Pacers just couldn't miss. They also couldn't inbound up three with 10 seconds to go, opening the door for a Jaylen Brown 3 to send it to overtime. Jayson Tatum shook off a lot of struggles to score 10 in the overtime and give Boston the win. 

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Consistency: It’s never going to be pretty for 48 minutes, but Boston’s inconsistency on offense nearly cost them Game 1. When they build a 10 point lead in this game, I want to see the best possessions of the game the next three or four trips down. There HAS to be a focus on building on past success. 

2. Get back! The Pacers love to run, even off makes. The Celtics should not be slowly jogging back at all. 

3. Xavier Tillman: He is available after missing Tuesday’s game due to the death of his father. I think this could be a series where he makes an impact. Either he gets in ahead of Luke Kornet, or maybe Boston goes to some double-big lineups and Tillman handles a few minutes to rest Al Horford after that to reset. However he’s used, I think he should be used to help keep Horford’s minutes down. 

4. Better 3-point shooting. I’m fine with the shots Boston took for the most part. Taking 45 3-pointers is fine with me. How about hitting 40% of them? Three more 3-pointers would go a long way. 

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.