For Celtics, big win over Pacers could be sign of things to come

INDIANAPOLIS -- As the Boston Celtics have meandered their way through the regular season -- failing to live up to their lofty preseason expectations -- many around the NBA have been ready to abandon them as a potential option to emerge from the Eastern Conference. At some point, the reasoning goes, the inconsistencies that have plagued the Celtics all season will wind up catching up with them and officially render this campaign a disappointment.

But despite the constant lackadaisical approach that has plagued Boston all season, there still remains time for the Celtics to sort themselves out. And for those looking for reasons to believe the Celtics can have the kind of season they were expected to, Friday night's 117-97 victory over the Indiana Pacers is a reminder of what Boston can be at its best.

This was, without question, the biggest game of the season for the Celtics. Barring a dramatic collapse by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics and Pacers will meet in the first round of the playoffs -- and the winner of Friday's game between the two was all but guaranteed of having home-court advantage for that series.

The Pacers very well might have been the third seed in the East if they hadn't lost All-Star guard Victor Oladipo for the season with a torn quad tendon in January. Indiana, for all of its tenacity and effort on a nightly basis, simply lacks the ceiling of the Celtics or the other true top-tier teams in the East.

Nevertheless, that doesn't mean the Pacers will be an easy out -- especially if given the benefit of home court. That meant Friday night's game was crucial for Boston, not only to make its path out of the first round easier, but also to avoid having to advance through three rounds of the playoffs as the lower-seeded team to make it out of the East.

"I think they're really tough," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said of the Pacers. "That wasn't their best game, and we know that. If you're not locked in in the moment against them, they'll go on a run or they'll beat you up."

That is why the way the Celtics came out and played this game is such an encouraging sign for those who still believe Boston should be considered a contender. Against a Pacers team with limited scoring options, Boston made things exceedingly difficult and never gave the Pacers a chance to get going. If it wasn't for some smart, timely back cuts by Indiana in the first half, this game could've been a blowout by halftime.

Instead, the Celtics slowly and methodically took control as the game wore on. Kyrie Irving was forced into difficult shots by Indiana -- but he made them, as he usually does. Gordon Hayward continued his recent string of strong play, making all nine shots he took as he scored 21 points, and repeatedly making good things happen by getting in the way of Indiana's defense.

"That's a lot of what I did when I was in Utah, finishing in the lane with different types of finishes off one foot, two feet, fade-back, things like that," Hayward said. "Some is slowly coming back, some is more explosive and can handle the contact a little better, staying on balance. It's coming together nicely, and I have to continue to attack and get to the line."

Meanwhile, Al Horford once again was a huge difference-maker for Boston, finishing plus-20 (second only to Hayward's plus-23) and giving Indiana fits with his ability to space the floor and knock down shots.

This is the version of Boston that was supposed to be around all season long -- the one that was supposed to be in the mix for the top seed in the East, not scratching and clawing for home-court advantage in the first round with a couple of games to go in the regular season.

"Much more purpose from the group," Horford said, when asked about Boston's level of play lately, as the Celtics have won three in a row and five of their past six. "The focus level has been much better, and that's encouraging to see."

There have been too many ups and downs in this roller coaster of a season in Boston, too much scar tissue built up over the past six months to say that everything is now fine and that the Celtics are ready to make the run they are supposed to.

On a night when the Celtics needed to show up, though, they did. Given how this season has gone, that isn't nothing.

"We got the win," Irving said. "That's all that matters. We did what it took to get a convincing win like we did tonight by playing hard, doing the right things, staying aggressive on the defensive end, matching the physicality and really setting the tone of the game.

"When we do that, we're pretty tough to beat."

It's a rather simple formula, isn't it? Nothing about this Celtics season, though, has been simple. Yet, despite all that, the Celtics still have the opportunity to achieve all they hoped to this season.

Friday's win was an indication that the team Boston was supposed to be does, somehow, reside within the Celtics. Whether this is a one-time thing or an indication of things to come is what will determine what happens next: the breakthrough Boston's backers have been waiting for or the ignominious ending their play this season has predicted will take place.