The Boston Celtics managed to pull out a win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 despite their poor performance on the offensive end. Regardless, it appears point guard Kyrie Irving was still pleased with his team's effort.
The Celtics were able to secure an 84-74 victory over the Pacers on Sunday. Irving feels Boston still showed plenty of toughness in the win.
"Did we score 90 points? No. … That's where the gritty individuals make their mark."
– Kyrie Irving speaks to the importance of staying level-headed through offensive struggles #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/5SRZNzGTOM
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 14, 2019
There is certainly plenty of truth to Irving's comments. It is no secret that defenses tend to get much tighter in the playoffs which ultimately results in lower scores than there would be in the regular season. The Celtics showed that they are more than capable of stepping it up on the defensive end when their shots are not falling.
Boston shot just 36.4 percent from the field while making 10 of their 28 3-point attempts on the night. Fortunately, they made it much more difficult for Indiana to get any good looks at the basket. The Pacers ended up shooting just 33.3 percent from the field while making only six of their 27 3-point attempts.
The Celtics relied on a team effort to give them their points on offense. Kyrie Irving led the way with 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Meanwhile, forward Marcus Morris also had 20 points and seven rebounds on the night. Although Boston was able to show their grit in a tough win, they will need to figure out a way to be more efficient on offense if they hope to win the East.
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