Celtics play half a game, lose to Pacers 82 - 97

The Celtics broadcast put up a perfect stat after halftime.  They showed that the Pacers are averaging just 42 points in the first half (last in the league) yet they have just one loss on the season.  They just take a while to get going I guess.

Boston came out strong, getting their offense from a number of different contributors but in particular Jordan Crawford.  Jeff Green chipped in as well with several aggressive drives to the basket (even driving right into Hibbert for the bucket).  They finished with 50 points (25 each quarter) to the Pacers 42.

If they could have stopped the game right there or at least played it even the rest of the way, we'd be talking about another shocking win against one of the best teams in the game.

Of course then the 3rd quarter happened.

The Pacers outscored the Celtics 25-8 in that quarter as the Celtics had 11 turnovers that led to 13 Indiana points.  And that was the game.  All the air was out of the tires and the Pacers just finished out the 4th quarter strong to pick up another win.

Other notes:

• Crawford was the hero in the first half, but a bit of a goat in the 2nd half, contributing a lot of turnovers and bogging down the offense.
• The Celtics attempted just 9 free throws.  Either Tommy is right and the refs are just THAT bad, or the C's weren't aggressive enough.  Probably a little bit of both really.
• 21 turnovers for the Celtics and it felt like 20 of them were in the second half.
• Paul George had a quiet 27 points to lead all scorers.  David West and Luis Scola chipped in with 17 each.  This team is so good top to bottom right now.  Great job assembling that roster.
• Hey whaddayaknow - Lance Stevenson got a triple double just barely.  10 - 11 - 10
• Sullinger only got 13 points and 5 rebounds on the stat sheet, but it felt like he played a decent game.  He was not intimidated in the least and was even able to get his shot off once in a while (despite sharing the paint with just the kind of guy that is supposed to cause him fits in Hibbert).
• Olynyk left in the first half with what appeared to be a sprained ankle.  He didn't return but hopefully it isn't anything too serious.