With Tyrese Haliburton out for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals with a hamstring injury, the Indiana Pacers were expected to get blown out by the Boston Celtics. While the Pacers did end up losing, they put in an incredible performance and Jaylen Brown said some of their players turned into Michael Jordan.

“I think Indiana played well,” Brown said. “… You have to be out there to kind of feel it man, they was just flying around and then they were shooting the ball well. Some of those guys turned into f***ing Michael Jordan or whatever and we was like, ‘Man, what is going on?'”

It did seem as if some of the players turned into Jordan, as the Pacers went a ridiculous 63.6% from the field in the first half. Andrew Nembhard, in particular, looked unstoppable, as he had 21 points on 8-10 shooting from the field at the half.

The likes of Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, and T. J. McConnell were on a roll too, as the Pacers led 69-57 at the end of the second quarter. That lead had been stretched to 84-66 at around the midway stage of the third and it seemed like an unexpected win was on the cards for Indiana.

It all went downhill after that, though. The Celtics went on a 15-4 run to cut that deficit to single digits and then took over in the fourth quarter to win 114-111.

When Indiana shot over 60% from the field in that first half, it felt as if we might get a repeat of that Game 7 against the New York Knicks. The Pacers shot 67.1% from the field in that contest to blow out the Knicks 130-109 but weren’t able to keep it up in the second half here. They shot a woeful 38.3% from the field in the final two quarters to lose in heartbreaking fashion.

Even with Haliburton being out, the Pacers might have made this series a bit interesting had they won here. Following this loss, though, it’s safe to say it’s all but over.

Jaylen Brown Continues To Shine In These Playoffs

While Jayson Tatum led the way here for the Celtics with 36 points, Brown had a fine showing of his own. The 27-year-old finished with 24 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block while going 10-18 from the field.

For these playoffs, Brown is now averaging 24.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. The three-time All-Star has also shot 54.6% from the field and has really impressed.

Brown had received a whole lot of criticism after the Celtics lost in the Conference Finals to the Miami Heat last year, but he has made amends for that. He and the team are now just one win away from getting to the NBA Finals and I give them a good chance of wrapping up this series in four.

Despite the position the Celtics find themselves in, there are still some question marks surrounding them, considering the competition they have faced in the East. It will be interesting to see how they fare in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks or the Minnesota Timberwolves, if and when they get there.