Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Derrick White Discusses His 'Horrible' Second Half, C's 3rd Qtr. Struggles After Loss to Pacers
The Boston Celtics will not be the first team to hoist the NBA Cup.
The Indiana Pacers dashed those hopes with a 122-112 victory over the C's on Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The atmosphere resembled a playoff game, and Tyrese Haliburton registered his first-career triple-double with a 26-point, 13-assist, ten-rebound performance.
Unfortunately for the visitors, most of the niceties about them didn't continue in the second half.
While here's a more detailed breakdown of what went wrong at both ends for those looking for such an examination, one of the many common themes when it goes poorly for the Celtics that resurfaced on Monday was failing to take care of the ball.
Boston committed 18 turnovers, resulting in 17 points for the Pacers. Ten of those giveaways happened in the second half.
After committing none in the first 24 minutes, Derrick White had five after the break. No one else on either side had more than two following intermission.
After the loss, White, who finished with 18 points, a team-high eight assists, the second-most in the matchup, four rebounds, a steal, and a block, had this to say about his struggles in that department.
"Had a lot of turnovers, which makes them play faster," said the former Colorado Buffalo. "And personally, I felt like I was horrible in the second half, and it led to them getting a lot of easy looks offensively, so I've got to be better at that aspect."
The six-foot-four guard is a steadying force for the Celtics and one of the most consistent players in the league.
According to NBA.com, he entered this tilt with a plus-9.6 plus-minus rating. That ranks first among those who have played at least 12 games and averaged 25 or more minutes.
Since the start of last season, it's rare for him to struggle. He's earned a pass.
Boston not being sharp in the third quarter is a problem persisting over multiple seasons and far more concerning than White not playing well after the break against Indiana.
The six-year veteran addressed that, too.
"I'm not sure, honestly. We've got to do something to come out of this locker room better and play 48 minutes. It starts with us starters, and we've got to be better."
Monday, the primary issue in the third frame was their approach offensively.
The Celtics' offense lacked diversity. They weren't attacking the basket, took four free throws, and weren't physical enough. Also, there are other avenues to playing inside-out basketball to create high-quality, in-rhythm threes.
Boston could've worked through Al Horford at the elbow or in the low post. The latter also presents the option of letting him operate from around the basket to help a team in need of points and allowing its defense to get set against the Pacers, who boast the highest-scoring offense in the league and push the pace relentlessly.
Lastly, where were the points off cuts? They could've even called for more post-ups for Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Jrue Holiday.
Instead, too often, there was ineffective ball movement around the perimeter and someone bricking an out-of-rhythm three. The visitors shot 40.9 percent from the field, including 3/10 from beyond the arc in the third quarter.
And their approach led to six turnovers. Indiana parlayed those into seven points, fueling the hosts and the crowd.
But as head coach Joe Mazzulla said recently, "It's always something different."
As the Celtics figure out how to convert having the league's best top six into Banner 18, defense must be at the forefront of their identity, and their offense can't fall in love with low-quality threes.
If they can become consistent in those areas and stay healthy, they should end this season as champions. Not doing so risks squandering a prime opportunity to capture an NBA title. Who knows what changes that would lead to?
Further Reading
Tyrese Haliburton, Another Sloppy 3rd Qtr., Propel Pacers Past Celtics in In-Season Tournament
Former Celtics Assess If Boston Needs to Make Move to Help Title Pursuit
Joe Mazzulla Praises Payton Pritchard's Fourth-Quarter Performance in C's Win vs. 76ers
Here's What Stood Out as Celtics Earned Ugly Win vs. 76ers
Celtics Share Their Perspective of NBA's Flawed but Successful In-Season Tournament
An Empowered Jaylen Brown Strives to Balance Scoring with Playmaking: 'I've Grown A Lot'
Celtics' Loss to Magic Highlights Their Most Concerning Traits
Joe Mazzulla Believes Celtics' Second Unit is 'Starting to Develop an Identity'
Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present
