There they were Monday night and again in Indianapolis on Friday. The two last Eastern Conference Finalists, the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. After the reigning Eastern Conference champs raced out to a 20-point lead early in the third quarter back in Boston, the Celtics stormed back and eventually won 103-95 to send the TD Garden happy before the holidays. Four days later on the road, Indy got out to a quick start again and again, Boston eventually found their footing and blew out the Pacers 140-122 in an impressive offensive showing.
The home-and-away series was a glimpse into how these former East contenders are doing without their franchise players, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton. And while both seem to be heading into different directions this season, they’re more and more alike as they soldier on.
As The Ringer’s Bill Simmons recently said on his podcast with Tim Legler, “here’s the Pacers comparison: they’re built around guards, the guards are creating most of the offense, most of the opportunities, the shooting — they control the pace. They always have two out there. Simons can come in and he can still create a shot, so they’re always in a position with their guards where they can create something which is where the Pacers were last year. They have an awesome forward; Pacers had Siakam and I think Jaylen is a better option than Siakam was, but they have one forward that they know can get a shot and if you space out for him, they can probably get a good 12 to 15-footer. They have some rim protection in Queta which the Pacers had in Turner. And then they have all these wings that just try and play defense and know how to switch and they come in waves. The whole team tries really hard.”
With their superstars out and recovering from Achilles tears this season, nobody would blame the Celtics and Pacers for taking a gap year. At 6-24, the Pacers are well on their way to a lottery pick, but they haven’t exactly tanked. After losing Myles Turner to free agency, they’ve lost a significant number of games to injury with Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, and Obi Toppin all missing time. However, they’re still playing hard for head coach Rick Carlisle and their style is still representative of their dynamic and varied approach that vaulted them to the Finals and redefined this generation of NBA basketball.
For the Celtics, they’ve instead used this gap year like many European teenagers use theirs between high school and college: rediscovering and redefining themselves.
Boston’s Banner 18 could be considered more of a front office championship rather than a coaching success. Mazzulla’s fingerprints were all over the 2024 team, but it was really Brad Stevens’ timely GMing that took advantage of the window between the old and new collective bargaining agreement that added Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday before the stiff penalties hit.
This season, however, is all Mazzulla. Admittedly, it’s a blueprint that Carlisle laid out last year: find 9-11 guys that can play and, well, let them play and make them play hard. Everybody will get a touch in their democratic offens and everybody needs to defend.
After losing five key rotation players, the 19-11 Celtics are third in the East with a less heralded roster than Carlisle commanded and took the Thunder to seven games last summer. This is not to say that Boston is ticketed to a trip back to the Finals. There’s over half the season to weather and a trade deadline that could dramatically change the landscape of the league on the horizon.
However, big picture, this season and its successes are an appealing brochure for Celtics University and its dean, Joe Mazzulla.
“It’s pretty amazing to watch somebody impose their personality on to a team and I think that’s what we’re seeing with this young group of guys,” former Celtic and 13-year veteran Blake Griffin said earlier this season on NBA Prime.
Simmons made a similar observation about Mazzulla: “…what I love about this year’s team is that it’s coming out of his brain and his pores. Basically, if you’re not trying, you’re not playing.”
Out west, it looks like the Thunder and Spurs will be battling it out for conference supremacy. They’re ahead of the curve with building their rosters with perimeter players and defenders and seem to be set for the next decade. The Celtics are in their nascent stage, but as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum entire their primes, their front office and coaching staff have already focused their efforts to challenge them.