As surprising as the Boston Celtics defensive efforts were in their 84-74 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs, Marcus Morris’ all-around performance may have been more shocking.
After shooting the lights out prior to the All-Star break — 45.7 percent from the floor, 40.9 percent from deep — Morris took a step back in his final 22 games of the season. He only made 30 percent of his 3-point attempts and had an overall field goal percentage of 37.8.
Eventually, that led to Morris coming off the bench in five of the last six regular games he appeared. Normally, that’d be a tough pill to swallow for players, but Morris continues to preach he doesn’t care. He told reporters after Game 1 he will make an impact regardless of his role; simply because he’s an impactful player.
At the end of the day, I’m a hooper. So, if I start or come off [the bench] there will be small adjustments and just trying to come out and help the team. If I come off [the bench], just try to make sure I come off with an impact, and if I start it will be the same way.
Morris did exactly that in Game 1, tying Kyrie Irving for a team-high 20 points after going 5 of 12 from the floor, 3 of 8 from three. If that’s any inclination of what’s to come from Morris, then the Celtics could make a deeper run than initially anticipated.
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