There was very little resemblance between the Celtics team that played the first 2 games at home and the team that played their first road game in Indiana. Just as in the playoffs last season, the difference between the Celtics' home team and the Celtics' road team was striking.
The home team played awe inspiring defense the road team played very little defense, allowing the Pacers to get to the rim at will. The home team held their opponents to an average of 36% shooting. The road team allowed their opponent to shoot 41%.
The home team shot an average of 44% from the field while the road team shot a measly 34.6% from the field. To show how out of character this is, all of last season, the Celtics shot less than 35% just one time.
The home team turned the ball over more than they should have, with an average of 18 over the two games. The road team turned the ball over an amazing 24 times, twice as many as their opponent. And, the turnovers couldn't be all blamed on the bench because 14 of the 24 came from the Celtics' 3 stars.
While the home team didn't set any records with their free throw shooting, they were considerably better than the 60% that the road team hit from the line.
As for the key matchups, Paul Pierce finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block while Danny Granger tallied 20 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 2 lost teeth. This one could be considered a draw.
The other key matchup was between Rajon Rondo and TJ Ford. Rondo finished with 2 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and no turnovers. TJ Ford scored 19 points to go with 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and no turnovers.
A few odds and ends:
Doc once again brought Scal out in the first quarter and this is puzzling although Scal at least contributed this time with 2 points and 3 rebounds in just over 8 minutes.
Leon Powe was his usual steady self with 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block. You have to love this kid.
Ray Allen struggled with his shot once again shooting 4-10 from the field and finishing with 10 points but he also pulled down 6 rebounds. Eddie House struggled even worse shooting only 1-10.
Violet Palmer was one of the refs and she hasn't improved any since last season. She is still one of the worst refs in the league.
There was one positive in an otherwise very ugly game for the Celtics. The Celtics out rebounded the Pacers 52-48.
Hopefully this game was an exception and the Celtics won't be a Jekyll and Hyde team this whole season with one team showing up on the road and another showing up at home. Let's hope they find their cohesiveness and defense before Tuesday because it won't get any easier in Houston.