How Celtics are using crazy Pacers-Cavs ending as a teaching moment originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Head coach Joe Mazzulla leaves no stone unturned when it comes to preparing the Boston Celtics for games. So, it shouldn’t surprise you that his players were studying the closing seconds of Tuesday’s wild Game 2 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers.

The Cavs led the Pacers by seven points with 57 seconds remaining before Indy mounted a furious comeback to win 120-119 and take a 2-0 lead in the second-round series.

The Pacers’ stunning late-game surge included an Aaron Nesmith put-back dunk off a missed free throw, an Aaron Nembhard steal off a Cleveland inbound pass and a Tyrese Haliburton go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Celtics guard Payton Pritchard noted there are lessons Boston can take from that chaotic final minute, especially after the C’s blew a 20-point lead against the Knicks in Game 1.

“Definitely can learn from the Cavs being up seven — the game’s never over until it’s over,” Pritchard told reporters Wednesday at shootaround ahead of Boston’s Game 2. “So, you’ve got to take care of the rock. Even on a free throw box out — all the little things matter. We’ve got to learn from that and take it into this game.”

Pritchard suggested it’s common practice for the Celtics to look for teaching moments in other NBA games, particularly in the playoffs. And Nesmith’s put-back dunk appeared to be a particular point of emphasis for Boston, which has to contend with a strong rebounder on the wing in New York’s Josh Hart.

“We always look at stuff across league — little plays, stuff that could come up in situations for us,” Pritchard said. “It’s just preparation at the end of the day, so if we’re in a situation like they were in, we are already prepared.

“What are we trying to do? How are we gonna box these guys out on a free-throw box-out? If I’m not in the lane, I’m boxing outside the 3-point line. I’ve got to hit a guy like Josh Hart. He might crash hard, so I’ve got to be prepared to box him out in that situation.

“It’s little things like that. You’ve got to just be a student of the game and learn and keep growing.”

Hart racked up five offensive rebounds (11 total) in Game 1, including a pair of late-game boards that played a key role in New York’s comeback. So, it’s understandable that Hart was on the Celtics’ minds as they watched Nesmith soar over Donovan Mitchell for his clutch dunk.

But the bigger-picture lesson for Boston from Pacers-Cavs is that no lead is safe, and that even the smallest lapses in intensity can prove costly. The Celtics were in full control of Monday’s Game 1 with a 20-point lead midway through the third quarter, but that lead fully evaporated over 10 minutes of game play thanks to a combination of missed 3-pointers and defensive miscues.

The good news is that Mazzulla’s club has proven adept at learning from its mistakes: Boston has won four consecutive playoff games following a loss, with an average margin of victory of 15 points.

Tip-off for Game 2 is set for 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday at TD Garden, with NBC Sports Boston’s coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.

Warriors, Timberwolves go back and forth litigating Game 1 non-calls originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors have issues with the officiating. The Minnesota Timberwolves have issues with the officiating. Everyone has issues with the officiating.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon after Timberwolves practice at Target Center, Minnesota coach Chris Finch discussed the Warriors’ fouling of Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in Game 1 on Tuesday night and revealed he plans to send clips of the non-calls to the NBA.

“On defensive rebounds, they do a lot of fouling, holding, shoving, pushing and tackling Rudy,” Finch said of the Warriors’ physicality. “That’s clear. We’ll send a bunch of those clips into the league.

“In fact, I’m not sure I know another player in the league with Rudy’s pedigree that is allowed to be physically beaten on the way he is. And so we’ve got to address that one way or another.”

Finch pointed to one play involving Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski and alluded to the Timberwolves upping the physicality from here on out.

“There was a play last night where Podziemski clearly grabbed him and he sheds Podziemski and he gets the foul,” Finch explained. “So we’ll certainly try and take justice into our own hands whenever we can, I think it’s the nature of a physical sport. But by the same token, my god, you should see some of these clips.

“It’s like pulling guards and linemen out there taking shots at Rudy.”

Podziemski was asked about Finch’s comments after Warriors practice, and explained that Golden State’s potential uptick in physicality has carried over from its first-round series against the Houston Rockets.

“I mean, it’s the playoffs,” Podziemski said. “What we just had to go through with the Rockets, I think has just kind of rubbed off on us. What they were doing is kind of similar to what we’re doing now. I don’t know if the Lakers were doing that to the Timberwolves in the first round, but this is the playoffs, you just try and do everything you can to win.

“I mean, Rudy’s probably a whole foot taller than me, so what do you want me to do?”

Warriors center Kevon Looney echoed a similar sentiment.

“Last series I feel like was way worse than anything I did last game,” Looney added. “It’s the playoffs. I’m gonna grab and push until they call it. Rudy’s a great rebounder. [Julius] Randle … Everybody got their own little tricks they do.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who also plans to submit clips of non-calls to the league, has his fair share of complaints and is not surprised by Finch’s comments.

“I was upset the first 10 minutes of the game,” Kerr said. “It was just like Houston all over again. They were bear-hugging Steph [Curry] and they could have called six fouls. But the league has established the physicality in the playoffs. Chris [Finch] talked about it last week, just the overall physicality. To me, it’s crazy out there, what’s happening. Everybody’s fouling each other.

“I just feel like they have a really hard job because playoff basketball, yes it’s physical and they’re going to allow more, but I think they could have called a foul [on] six, seven straight possessions with them guarding Steph. So I’ve got my complaints too, trust me. We all do, and this is how it works in the playoffs. We watch the tape and we see all the fouls on them that aren’t called. They watch the tape, they see the ones on us that weren’t called. It’s a physical game, it’s just going to be and both teams have to adjust. I’m getting ready to send my own clips into the league.”

As frustrating as the non-calls might be for both teams, Kerr believes the officiating has been nothing if not consistent.

“It has been consistent. They are consistently allowing teams to foul,” Kerr added.

It will be interesting to see if the officials adjust in Game 2 on Thursday at Target Center, but if the playoffs this season have shown us anything, it’s that the refs are taking a more hands-off approach.

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Pritchard provides insight into Celtics' Game 2 mindset originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics aren’t going to panic after losing Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series versus the New York Knicks on Monday night.

The Celtics missed an NBA playoff record 45 3-point shots and made some uncharacteristic mistakes late in the fourth quarter and overtime. Despite all of that, the Knicks barely escaped TD Garden with a 108-105 overtime victory.

The Celtics know that an 0-2 deficit would make their job a lot tougher. So we should expect a strong level of urgency from this group ahead of Wednesday night’s Game 2 in Boston.

“It’s really like a must-win game,” Celtics guard Payton Pritchard told reporters after shootaround. “We know that. We got to take care of home court tonight.

“I think we’ll come out with a lot of energy and stuff like that, especially after watching the Pacers-Cleveland game. It’s a full 48-minute fight tonight. We let off the throttle in the last game up 20, let that one slip, so we can’t let stuff like that happen.”

Much of the postgame talk and analysis from Game 1 centered around Boston’s lackluster outside shooting.

The Celtics attempted a playoff-record 60 3-pointers in the series opener. Many of their misses were on open shots that they typically knock down. It’s one reason why the C’s are in no hurry to change the style of play that’s been so successful for them.

“I think looking back at the film, a majority of the 3s were actually good looks,” Pritchard said. “Now, I think each one of us could have had one or two shots that we’re probably like — probably could have got a better one.

“We’re a great 3-point-shooting team, but I think it’s understanding at the moment that if we’ve missed consecutive ones in a row, then at that moment, maybe then we need to try to get to the paint, try to get an easy one going. Obviously, we went through the film, so we’ll be better at that, but it’s not changing our — we’re not gonna hesitate and try to change our whole game.

“It’s one game, and this game (Wednesday) could be totally different. We could go 50 percent from 3 and we hit 30 3-pointers — we’re capable of doing something like that. You can’t ride the waves. You’ve got to stay even keel through it all.”

The Celtics have a 16-4 record all-time in Game 2s at home in the conference semifinals, and they haven’t lost back-to-back playoff games since the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.

Most of the stats/trends point to a Celtics bounce back Wednesday night. But the Knicks aren’t just going to roll over. They are a confident team, and the chance to steal both games in Boston should give them plenty of energy early in this matchup.

Tip-off for Game 2 is set for 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday at TD Garden, with NBC Sports Boston’s coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.