Oshae Brissett, the unsung hero in ‘revenge game’ vs. Pacers, originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON – The Boston Celtics looked slow on both ends of the court to start Game 2 vs. the Indiana Pacers. Then Oshae Brissett checked in.
Brissett replaced an injured Luke Kornet (left wrist) as the C’s went small-ball to start the second quarter of Thursday’s game. Down two points to start the frame, they went on a 20-0 run and didn’t trail for the remainder of their 126-110 victory. While Jaylen Brown (40 points, 17 in the second quarter) will rightly deserve most of the credit for Boston’s turnaround, Brissett’s impact should not be underestimated.
The former Pacer’s energy was contagious. He grabbed two rebounds in his first two minutes and his solid defense helped keep Indiana from getting a shot through the first six minutes of the frame. His final numbers don’t jump off the page, but his contributions went far beyond the stat sheet.
“Just his presence, his energy, his athleticism,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said of Brissett. “He’s playing with such a high level of intensity and energy. It’s big for us.”
Brissett finished with two points, three rebounds and three steals. He was a +18 in 12 minutes, tying Brown for the highest mark in the match.
Prior to Thursday, Brissett only saw the field in the playoffs during garbage time and topped out at five minutes. He talked about the change in mentality that comes with playing in the postseason versus the regular season.
“That’s very different,” he said. “The preparation, the focus, the attention to detail is definitely something that is heightened in these games. Practicing, filming, just talking between the guys, that’s definitely a few steps up, a few notches higher.
“And you know, this would be my first time with a championship team. It is awesome. I really feel like I’m locked in, really focused on all the little details and things that I never really paid attention to before just because I didn’t have the experience. So I feel like I’m in a good position.”
While Brissett’s performance may be glossed over by the box score watchers, it was certainly not overlooked by his teammates.
“I’m glad to see that,” Holiday said of Brissett as a +18. “And he stays ready. He hasn’t seen a lot of minutes this postseason. He probably didn’t play as much as he wanted to during the regular season. But I just think that’s part of sacrifice and him staying ready.”
“It was tough for him to stay ready, I know, because you don’t really get reps like that, but the way he came out and played – I think he had two rebounds and great stops in the first two minutes – it was just very excited and I’m happy to see him do that because firstly it’s a confidence boost and secondly it’s against his old team.”
Not only did Brissett bring the energy to the field, but he also seems to have brought a shock to the locker room. According to Jay King of The Athletic, Holiday and fellow veteran Al Horford hyped Brissett during his media presence.
While Oshae Brissett was doing the media, Jrue Holiday just shouted “revenge game.” Then Al Horford started barking like a dog.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 24, 2024
Depending on the severity of Kornet’s injury, we could see the Celtics play more small ball in this series in the future. Given their success with Brissett in the mix and Tatum at the five in Game 2, they could opt for the small lineup even if Kornet is healthy.
Regardless, the Celtics are confident they can compete against the team on their way to a berth in the NBA Finals.
“They are doing a great job keeping the chaos under control. They move the ball, they move bodies, they play fast,” Holiday said of the Pacers. ‘But we can do that too. We can go small, we can go big, we can slow down, we can play fast, we can execute.
The Celtics will look to take a commanding 3-0 series lead when the series shifts to Indiana on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 8:30 PM ET.
Coverage for Game 3 begins at 7:30 PM with Celtics Pregame Live on NBC Sports Boston.
