Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla recently shared his thoughts to John Karalis of the Boston Sports Journal, on the Celtics' 2024 playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, claiming it was the toughest series they faced during their title run. Despite sweeping the Pacers 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals, Mazzulla admitted that the series was far closer than the results suggest and that it could easily have gone to seven games.
"That Indiana series was by far the toughest series, and we swept them, but it should have went seven. You have to have an understanding that we have to fight for the things that we can control but there's so much that goes on that you can't control."
"We're trying to foul up three and give Nesmith a wide-open corner 3. If he makes that and we go in the overtime on the road, it's a completely different game. … There's a list of things that I wrote down that I'm like."
"Here are all the things that happened that we had no control over, and we got to practice this list of things to try and gain a little bit more control over. But there's still stuff that you have to surrender to within a game."
He explained that while the Celtics controlled certain aspects of the game, many uncontrollable factors made the series much more difficult than the sweep indicated. He cited a crucial moment in Game 3 where the Celtics, leading by three points, gave Pacers' forward Aaron Nesmith a wide-open corner three. Had Nesmith made the shot and sent the game into overtime, Mazzulla believes the series could have shifted dramatically.
The Celtics narrowly won Game 1 in overtime after a crucial turnover by the Pacers, securing a 133-128 victory. Game 2 was the only comfortable win for Boston, with a 126-110 blowout, but Games 3 and 4 were much closer, with Boston edging out the Pacers 114-111 and 105-102, respectively. In three of the four games, Indiana was in position to either tie or win the game late in the final minutes, making for an intense series despite the sweep.
Adding to the challenge was the absence of Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who was ruled out of the series after Game 2 due to injury. Mazzulla acknowledged that despite this setback, Indiana's up-tempo play and offensive firepower, which led them to victories over Milwaukee and New York earlier in the playoffs, posed a significant threat to the Celtics.
Joe Mazzulla’s reflections reveal that while the Boston Celtics appeared to dominate the series, they were pushed to their limits by a young and hungry Indiana Pacers team. He believes that Indiana could be a more formidable opponent in the future, particularly if Haliburton returns to full health, and he stressed the importance of preparing for the uncontrollable aspects of the game in future playoff runs.
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