Jrue Holiday wasn’t the Celtic who sank the game-tying 3-point shot with 5.7 seconds left in regulation on Tuesday.
He didn’t score 10 points in overtime to lift his team to a comeback victory against the Pacers.
But in the immediate aftermath of Boston’s 133-128 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, it was Holiday whose name echoed across several postgame interviews as the primary cause for Boston’s triumph.
“Jrue was fantastic. Jrue was exceptional,” Jaylen Brown said. “Shoutout to Jrue — Jrue came out and balled and he’s the reason why we won the game.”
Brown’s comments held plenty of merit, especially after glancing over the stat sheet from Tuesday’s win.
Brown’s clutch 3-point shot forced overtime and Jayson Tatum’s OT heroics stamped Boston’s win, but it was Holiday who was a constant throughout Boston’s series-opening victory — submitting the best performance of his Celtics career.
“[Jrue] is the kind of guy that’s going to impact the game in different ways every night,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the game. “Tonight, it was his scoring, his playmaking, and his defense. A well-rounded game by him. And I thought he, just his poise and his demeanor throughout the game was instrumental for us.”
Holiday finished with a season-high 28 points over 48 minutes in Game 1 — sinking 10 of his 16 shots, including 4-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc. The 33-year-old veteran also added eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals.
But Holiday — fresh off of getting NBA Second Team All-Defensive honors earlier on Tuesday — also made his presence felt with several other momentum-shifting plays on the defensive side of the ball.
I think he just was poised, he took advantage of his matchups,” Brown said of Holiday. “He just was so elite. He’s guarding Halliburton, picking him up, chasing him around. That was special from Jrue Holiday, being able to come out, knock down shots, make some big plays at the rim.”
After keeping Boston afloat throughout an up-and-down game with his efficient offensive performance, Holiday delivered on defense during crunch time.
He blanketed Haliburton on Indy’s momentum-sapping inbound miscue with 8.1 seconds left on the clock — with Andrew Nembhard forced to pass the ball to a cutting Pascal Siakam en route to a turnover.
That set the stage for Brown’s heroics, with Holiday’s pass off the subsequent Celtics timeout leading to the equalizing 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds to go in the fourth quarter.
As Tatum caught fire in overtime, Holiday slowed down Haliburton when Boston needed it most — forcing a turnover against the Pacers guard with 1:02 left on the clock. On the next possession, Tatum iced the game with a clutch 3-pointer, putting Boston ahead, 127-124, with 42.2 seconds remaining.
Tuesday’s win may not have been pretty for a Celtics team viewed as overwhelming favorites in this third-round bout with the Pacers. But a gritty game like Tuesday’s is exactly the type of playoff scrap that the Celtics brought in Holiday for.
And when his team needed him, the veteran guard delivered.
“I think we always knew there’s always a chance,” Holiday said of Boston’s comeback win. “We’ve seen crazy stuff happen all the time. I don’t think we think we lost the game until we actually lost the game, and that’s part of the reason we’re so resilient toward the end of the game.
“Like I said, anything can happen. A couple of turnovers, a great shot — a great look by JB. … Just the type of team that’s going to keep on fighting, no matter how long and no matter how it’s going to take.”
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