During a special appearance on the Club 520 Podcast, Boston Celtics all-star Jayson Tatum revealed his team's toughest matchup in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
“The (Indiana) Pacers was the hardest series that we had last year,” Tatum said. “Just like how fast they play, they would sub in 3 people at a time. T. J. McConnell is unreal at home. Obi Toppin, the role players that they got are all so selfless.”
Tatum wasn't the only one concerned. Even general manager Brad Stevens had an eye-opening admission about the Celtics sweeping the Pacers. He shared concerns about how fast they played, in addition to their offensive rhythm.
Both teams excelled offensively. The Pacers did lead the league last season in points per game with 123.3 while the Celtics were second with 120.6 points per game. However, it was the defense that made Boston so dominant. The Celtics only gave up 109.2 points per game and the Pacers gave up 120.2 points per game.
Jayson Tatum highlighted the Pacers' effective offense against the Celtics
That discrepancy proved vital in the playoffs. Within the first game, it took a miraculous Jaylen Brown game-tying shot to send it into overtime. While the Celtics won the game, Indiana proved to be a thorn in their side. Tatum credits their persistence to how their roster is constructed.
“They don’t stop moving,” Tatum said. “Everybody played without the ball and the way that they play, they bait you into playing the way they play and that works for them. Our thing is like we want to get stops on defense and you look up and the score might be 135.”
Three of the four games in the series were decided by two possessions or less. Not to mention that they scored at least 110 points in three of those games. Offensive production was not a problem for Indiana. Just look at who else they played in the playoffs. All four of their victories against the Milwaukee Bucks showed the offensive potential.
They scored at least 115 points or more in every win. In the second round against the New York Knicks, they had six games of scoring at least 110 points. An up-tempo offense is what head coach Rick Carlisle wanted. Even Tatum recognized how the Pacers were trying to play.
“That’s the game that they want to play and when they get you playing that way, they can beat anybody.”
Boston faced the Pacers earlier this season and lost, thanks to a Pascal Siakam game-winner. As the season progresses, this marquee matchup could develop into an intense rivalry come April.
