These clutch stats from Celtics’ sweep of Pacers are mind-blowing

These clutch stats from Celtics’ sweep of Pacers are mind-blowing originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

One of the few weaknesses the Boston Celtics had this season was stepping up in clutch moments.

Sure, their clutch stats in the regular season weren’t horrible by any means, but there were plenty of games in which the team failed to execute at a high level in these high-pressure moments. There also have been too many instances in recent playoff runs where the Celtics struggled in clutch situations.

It’s hard to be concerned about the Celtics’ ability to thrive in the clutch right now, though. They put on a clutch clinic versus the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Boston’s impressive sweep included three clutch wins and, among other mind-blowing stats, a crazy 43.9 net rating in clutch situations.

Here are a couple wild clutch stats from the Pacers series, courtesy of NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics stats guru Dick Lipe:

The closing bursts by the Celtics in the 3 clutch games in the series:

Game 1: 23-13 over the final 6:45
Game 3: 15-4 over the final 3:00
Game 4: 15-4 over the final 5:50

That’s big time!

— Dick Lipe (@DickLipe) May 28, 2024

CELTICS: COMING UP CLUTCH IN THE PLAYOFFS!
4-0 record
129.3 offensive rating
85.4 defensive rating
+43.9 net rating
Outscored opponent 53-35
Forced 9 turnovers in 19 minutes

— Dick Lipe (@DickLipe) May 28, 2024

Boston’s ball movement and shot selection late in games during the playoffs have been really good. The offense is getting good shots and scoring points.

One great example came on the series-winning 3-pointer by Derrick White. Jaylen Brown drove to the basket, didn’t force up a bad shot and found an open White in the corner to give the C’s a 105-102 lead that they ultimately held for a Game 4 win Monday night.

The Celtics aren’t just thriving in the clutch offensively. The defense has been stellar in these moments, too.

Forcing nine turnovers in 19 clutch minutes is quite a feat. The Pacers didn’t take care of the ball, but most of those struggles were the result of the Celtics’ aggressive defense, most notably Jrue Holiday’s clutch steal late in Game 3.

The Celtics…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/clutch-stats-celtics-sweep-pacers-164816930.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-05-28 16:48:16

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