BOSTON — Tyrese Haliburton and Oshae Brissett texted one another all 12 months, Brissett’s first away from his former teammate and considered one of Haliburton’s finest pals. 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.
“Normally 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 plenty of chit-chat between us the entire 12 months, as a result of I advised him we have been gonna play within the Jap Convention Finals all 12 months and he type of laughed at me. So right here we’re, however we don’t actually discuss a lot in the course of the recreation. I’m positive we’ll have plenty of dialog after.”
Brissett hadn’t performed actual postseason minutes previous to Thursday. The Pacers went 25-57 the 12 months 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 no main function in Indiana. He discovered a distinct segment with the Celtics, however as usually occurs within the playoffs, Boston’s rotation tightened late within the 12 months. Brissett entered Sport 3 at Miami late for his first profession playoff recreation and scored twice within the collection finale after Boston pulled far-off.
Progressing two rounds later didn’t bode nicely for alternative rising, particularly with Luke Kornet principally performing behind Al Horford whereas Kristaps Porzingis recovered. That modified on Tuesday with the matchup. Indiana’s perimeter-based type and lots of former teammates remaining on the opposing aspect introduced 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 completed with two factors, three steals and three rebounds over 12 (+18) minutes.
“It’s been some time,” Brissett stated, flinching when the digital camera lights went on for his postgame scrum. “Numerous issues (went by means of my thoughts earlier than I entered), however making an attempt to do all the things I can to get the win. Attempting to do all the things I can to offer us some power. We have been enjoying rather well, however entering into at the moment might positively flip issues round in a optimistic or a damaging. So I assumed I did an excellent job of turning us in a optimistic means and holding that power up. (I’m) simply working exhausting day by day, staying within the fitness center and staying centered 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 warning over going small due to 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 enjoying the 4 and whereas Boston nearly by no means performed with no heart in the course of the common season, he famous gamers practiced filling totally 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 glad to be alongside for the trip. He vaulted from the upstart Pacers, who he nonetheless felt glad for, to a championship contender in a 12 months the place he legitimately helped them as a rotation rebounder and defender by means of entrance courtroom accidents and relaxation. Mazzulla and Brissett hadn’t mentioned any function for him on this collection 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 enjoying towards his former staff. “I’ve been actually excited to be right here, actual lucky, particularly, to be on a staff like this. At this level, we’ve seen (Indiana) play two full collection now, clearly we performed them 5 instances all year long, so we all know them fairly nicely, similar to how they know us … anyone high to backside on the roster, it doesn’t matter, has to remain prepared. Myself, I put together like I might all the time be within the recreation, it doesn’t matter when. It might be now, it might be subsequent collection, it might be Sport 2 … I simply belief the coaches and I really feel like they belief me at any time when they wish 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 by means of the method. Rick Carlisle, in November, known as Brissett an elite rebounder, good runner, an enhancing shooter and the most effective teammates ever.
That each one performed out for Boston, however neither the Celtics, Pacers, nor Brissett might’ve imagined him enjoying an necessary 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 may not disappear both. Kornet by no means returned to the bench, Brissett obtained his minutes forward of Xavier Tillman Sr., who returned to the staff 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 glad for them,” he advised CelticsBlog/CLNS. “I discuss to Tyrese nearly day by day. Actual glad for Myles, I really feel like lots of people favored to depend him out. I’ve seen the work that he’s put in through the years, so seeing him play the best way he’s now and actually be an actual chief for that staff makes me actual glad … I might go down the listing, Aaron Nesmith … seeing him in a key function on a playoff staff is large … I simply love seeing their development and people relationships I’ll have for the remainder of my profession.”
