The Indiana Pacers continue to make strides toward that century mark, but have yet to eclipse it in the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. The Celtics defense continues to shut down Indy, playing a prominent role in the Game 3 matchup to help Boston win 104-96.
The Celtics’ efforts made them the first team to hold an opponent under 100 points at least three times in these playoffs, according to @Celtics_Stats on Twitter.
Despite what they’ve shown throughout the series, the Celtics have not been known for their defensive prowess throughout the season. The break between the regular season and the postseason allowed Boston to change that and get back to what’s made them successful in the past, as Brad Stevens told reporters in Indiana on Friday.
I hate to pat our defense on the back. That’s when you let go of the rope. I think we just have to keep going at it. A few weeks ago, when we had the extra day and we had a chance to practice during the regular season before we played the Pacers in Boston the first time I thought we had a really good day of just going back to basics.
Stevens continued:
Ever since then, we’ve tried to do basics in every single practice. We get the chance to practice more now and we’re doing them a little bit better. Sometimes those things wane throughout the course of a long regular season when you can’t practice. So it’s been good to get back on the court and get those daily vitamins and be a little bit better as a group. And I think, our first group, generally, really makes it hard to score and that sets a tone for the game.
The Celtics may have more time to practice on the basics if they can wrap up the series in Indiana on Sunday.
