Before the Boston Celtics look to go up 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, their latest injury report features some integral players to their lineup. Joining the likes of Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet is Celtics star Jrue Holiday, who has had a solid series so far against the Pacers.
According to the team's X (formerly known as Twitter) account, Holiday is listed as “questionable” with a non-COVID illness. Porzingis remains out for the game, though it was to be expected as the general consensus seems to be that Game 4 could be the earliest he can play.
Holiday having a great series for the Celtics so far against the Pacers
As for Holiday, he has been crucial to the Celtics on both sides of the floor, and as said before, the veteran has had a really good series on both sides of the ball. In Game 2, Holiday had 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting, making 3 of 4 from 3-point range while also recording 10 assists.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla spoke to the importance of having players like Holiday and Derrick White, via Sports Illustrated.
“Yeah. Utility guys,” Mazzulla said. “Guys that will do anything to win. I feel like that's kind of what is important. It's not necessarily getting your stats or seeing what it looks like but doing whatever it takes to win.
“Derrick's done a great job this whole season of just setting up the offense, getting [us into the] things we need. I mean, he talks to me so much, telling me where to go [and] what to do. So as a point guard, Derrick's been great in leading our team.”
According to StatMuse, Holiday is “the first player with 10+ AST and 80+ FG% in a Conference Finals game since 1990.”
“They’re just really good basketball players,” Mazzulla continued. “Again, most of you guys always talk about — They come into a game open-minded on how they can impact it in different ways.
“Sometimes it’s defense. Sometimes it’s ball-handling. Sometimes it’s screening. Sometimes it’s scoring. Sometimes it’s shot-making. They just have the ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor. Their versatility is important.”
Holiday getting huge praise from his teammates on the series
Holiday was especially exceptional in Game 1 against the Pacers where he scored 28 points to go along with eight assists and collecting seven rebounds on top of recording three steals. While people would think the weight of the offense goes on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Holiday displays how dangerous the Celtics are as a unit.
“Jrue was fantastic. Jrue was exceptional. Shout out to Jrue. Jrue came out and balled, man,” Brown said via CBS News. “He's the reason why we won his game. I think he just was poised. He took advantage of his matchups. He just was so, so elite in that. It's a lot. And he's guarding Haliburton, picking him up, chasing him around. That was special from Jrue Holiday.”
On the season, Holiday has been averaging 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 48 percent from the field. The UCLA product has seen of every type of situation as he has been in NBA for close to 15 seasons now, which only brings an advantage for Boston.
Holiday excelling on the defensive side of the ball against Indiana
Besides the offensive side of the ball, he is also a stalwart on the defensive end as evidenced by his being on the Second Team All-Defensive Team.
He has been the primary defender on Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, and his presence has been felt as he has made the young point guard frustrated. But Haliburton also admitted that Holiday is “the best defender in the NBA,” and “he has been for a long time.”
Holiday has been crucial in every aspect to the Celtics' success this postseason as even in the last playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers when he contained the explosiveness of star Donovan Mitchell. Mazzulla implied that Holiday is a “jack-of-all trades” type of player or a “Swiss army knife” where he can do everything.
“He's the kind of guy who can impact the game in different ways every night,” Mazzulla said. “Tonight it was his scoring, his play-making and his defense. It was a well-rounded game by him. I thought his poise and his demeanor throughout the game was tremendous for us.”
The goal for Holiday the rest of the postseason and health
While it remains to be seen of Holiday's status, the goal for him on the court is to keep the same level of intensity as he is looking for his second championship, his first being with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. On top of that, the 33-year-old mentioned after Game 1 against Indiana that he will keep “just being aggressive no matter what end on the floor it's on.”
“I think just continually being aggressive, continually working on my game, continually having the coaches and my teammates in my ear telling me that they're gonna need me,” Holiday said after a stellar Game 1 performance.
“Even just knowing like, especially times during the game, just being aggressive no matter what end on the floor it's on. I'm gonna continue to do that and see what happens.”
In any sense, the Celtics and their fans will hope that it is nothing serious for Holiday and that he can play Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers.
There is no doubt that it is possible some people within the basketball world believe the series is already over, but Indiana is currently undefeated on their home floor at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse this postseason. Despite Boston looking better on paper, the dynamic of the series could change any minute as Game 3 is Saturday night.
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