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BOSTON — Tyrese Haliburton and Oshae Brissett texted one another all yr, Brissett’s first away from his former teammate and considered one of Haliburton’s finest associates. Haliburton hosted him at his home when Boston visited Indiana for back-to-back video games in January. The Celtics had already constructed a seven-game edge on the Pacers then, however Haliburton continued to inform Brissett that they’d meet within the East Finals. That turned actuality this week, and the pleasantries ended.
“Often we get dinner or one thing earlier than we play,” Haliburton stated on Wednesday after Sport 1. “However we’re not doing that in this. There was numerous chit-chat between us the entire yr, as a result of I advised him we have been gonna play within the Japanese Convention Finals all yr and he form of laughed at me. So right here we’re, however we don’t actually discuss a lot throughout the recreation. I’m positive we’ll have numerous dialog after.”
Brissett hadn’t performed actual postseason minutes previous to Thursday. The Pacers went 25-57 the yr Haliburton arrived, Brissett establishing himself as a part of their core in 2020-21 after a profitable call-up from the G-League. Haliburton’s accidents price them playoff rivalry in 2022-23, whereas Aaron Nesmith’s arrival and success, partly, left Brissett with out a main function in Indiana. He discovered a distinct segment with the Celtics, however as typically occurs within the playoffs, Boston’s rotation tightened late within the yr. Brissett entered Sport 3 at Miami late for his first profession playoff recreation and scored twice within the sequence finale after Boston pulled distant.
Progressing two rounds later didn’t bode nicely for alternative rising, particularly with Luke Kornet largely performing behind Al Horford whereas Kristaps Porzingis recovered. That modified on Tuesday with the matchup. Indiana’s perimeter-based type and plenty of former teammates remaining on the opposing aspect offered a case for small ball.
Joe Mazzulla had little selection when Kornet stepped off the ground nursing his left wrist late within the first quarter. Brissett relieved Horford two minutes into the second and the Pacers didn’t rating over the next three minutes. He finished with two points, three steals and three rebounds over 12 (+18) minutes.
“It’s been some time,” Brissett stated, flinching when the digicam lights went on for his postgame scrum. “Plenty of issues (went via my thoughts earlier than I entered), however making an attempt to do every thing I can to get the win. Making an attempt to do every thing I can to provide us some power. We have been taking part in rather well, however stepping into at the moment may positively flip issues round in a optimistic or a destructive. So I assumed I did job of turning us in a optimistic means and protecting that power up. (I’m) simply working exhausting every single day, staying within the fitness center and staying targeted all recreation … I’m sitting proper up there subsequent to coaches making an attempt to observe, making an attempt to remain as locked in as I can.”
Mazzulla expressed some caution over going small because of the Pacers’ unpredictable substitution patterns and concern for flooring spacing. That performed out when Obi Toppin, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner took the ground collectively reverse of Brissett and Jaylen Brown, who successfully moved to the 5. Brissett described Jrue Vacation as taking part in the 4 and whereas Boston virtually by no means performed with out a middle throughout the common season, he famous gamers practiced filling completely different positions to have the ability to get to such a lineup.
Brissett guarded TJ McConnell and handed him off on switches to Derrick White, forcing two misses inside. Mazzulla returned to Horford towards Turner after two performs, however allowed Brissett to shut for five:20 to complete the third, discovering his lone factors slicing away from Brown and dunking with two fingers.
Two days earlier, Brissett sat at his locker earlier than Sport 1 simply comfortable to be alongside for the experience. He vaulted from the upstart Pacers, who he nonetheless felt comfortable for, to a championship contender in a yr the place he legitimately helped them as a rotation rebounder and defender via entrance courtroom accidents and relaxation. Mazzulla and Brissett hadn’t mentioned any function for him on this sequence to that time although, so whereas he stayed prepared, Thursday’s minutes got here as some shock.
“It’s gonna be enjoyable,” Brissett advised CLNS Media/CelticsBlog about taking part in towards his former crew. “I’ve been actually excited to be right here, actual lucky, particularly, to be on a crew like this. At this level, we’ve seen (Indiana) play two full sequence now, clearly we performed them 5 occasions all year long, so we all know them fairly nicely, similar to how they know us … anyone prime to backside on the roster, it doesn’t matter, has to remain prepared. Myself, I put together like I may all the time be within the recreation, it doesn’t matter when. It could possibly be now, it could possibly be subsequent sequence, it could possibly be Sport 2 … I simply belief the coaches and I really feel like they belief me every time they need to put me in.”
Brissett particularly loved the chance to face Myles Turner, who welcomed him when he arrived from G-League Fort Wayne in 2021 and bridged Indiana’s earlier core subsequent to Domantas Sabonis to its present one. Brissett equally welcomed Nesmith to the Pacers when the Celtics traded him there for Malcolm Brogdon two summers in the past, recalling many conversations they shared via the method. Rick Carlisle, in November, known as Brissett an elite rebounder, good runner, an bettering shooter and among the finest teammates ever.
That every one performed out for Boston, however neither the Celtics, Pacers, nor Brissett may’ve imagined him taking part in an vital function in an East Finals revenge recreation, as Vacation known as it from throughout the locker room. Horford started barking Brissett’s means because the latter started his first press scrum in months. His function won’t disappear both. Kornet by no means returned to the bench, Brissett obtained his minutes forward of Xavier Tillman Sr., who returned to the crew on Thursday, whereas Porzingis is reportedly out for Sport 3 with hope for a Sport 4 return on the earliest, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It helps that Brissett is aware of these Pacers finest.
“I’ve been actual comfortable for them,” he advised CelticsBlog/CLNS. “I discuss to Tyrese virtually every single day. Actual comfortable for Myles, I really feel like lots of people preferred to depend him out. I’ve seen the work that he’s put in through the years, so seeing him play the way in which he’s now and actually be an actual chief for that crew makes me actual comfortable … I may go down the listing, Aaron Nesmith … seeing him in a key function on a playoff crew is huge … I simply love seeing their development and people relationships I’ll have for the remainder of my profession.”
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