Oshae Brissett, the unsung hero in ‘Revenge Game’ vs. originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON – The Boston Celtics looked sluggish on both ends of the court to start Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers. Then, Oshae Brissett checked in.
Brissett replaced the injured Luke Kornet (left wrist) as the C’s played small ball to start the second quarter of Thursday’s contest. Down two points early in the game, they went on a 20-0 run and didn’t trail for the rest of the game. their 126-110 victory. While Jaylen Brown (40 points, 17 in the second quarter) rightfully gets most of the credit for Boston’s comeback, Brissett’s impact shouldn’t be underestimated.
The ex-Pacer’s energy was contagious. He grabbed two rebounds in the first two minutes and his solid defense helped keep Indiana from taking shots in the first six minutes of the game. 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 coach Joe Mazzulla said of Brissett. “He plays with a high level of intensity and energy. He’s big for us.”
Brissett finished with two points, three rebounds and three steals. He scored +18 in 12 minutes, tying Brown for the game’s highest mark.
Before Thursday, Brissett only took the court in the playoffs during garbage time and peaked after five minutes. He talked about the mindset shift that comes with playing in the postseason compared to the regular season.
“This is very different,” he said. “The preparation, the focus, the attention to detail is definitely something that is heightened in these games. Training, filming, just talking amongst the guys, that’s definitely a few steps forward, a few steps forward.
“And, you know, this would be my first time with a championship team. It’s amazing. I really feel like I’m locked in, really focused on all the little details and things that before I never paid attention to, 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 score watchers, it certainly wasn’t forgotten by his teammates.
“I’m happy to see it,” Holiday said of Brissett being +18. “And he’s still 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 think that’s part of the sacrifice and him staying ready.
“Him getting ready, I know, was difficult because you’re not getting game reps like that, but the way he came out and played – I think in the first two minutes he had two rebounds and great stops – just very excited and I’m happy to see him doing this because, firstly, it’s a confidence boost and secondly, it’s against his old team.”
Not only did Brissett bring energy to the court, but he also appears to have added a jolt to the locker room. According to Jay King of The Athletic, Holiday and fellow veteran Al Horford praised Brissett during his media availability.
With Oshae Brissett doing media, Jrue Holiday just screamed “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 moving forward. Given the success with Brissett in the mix and Tatum at the five in Game 2, they could go small, even if Kornet is healthy.
Either way, the Celtics are confident in their ability to hold their own on the road to a berth in the NBA Finals.
“They do a great job controlling the chaos. They move the ball, they move their bodies, they play fast,” Holiday said of the Pacers. “But we can do this 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 3-0 series lead when the series moves to Indiana on Saturday. Reporting is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
Coverage of Game 3 begins at 7:30 p.m. with Celtics pregame live on NBC Sports Boston.
