Oshae Brissett, the unsung hero in the ‘revenge game’ against the Pacers originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON — The Boston Celtics looked sluggish on both ends of the floor to start Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers. So, Oshae Brissett signed up.
Brissett replaced an injured Luke Kornet (left wrist) as the C’s began the second quarter of Thursday’s matchup. Trailing by two points early in the frame, 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) will rightly take 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 scoring for 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 plays with a very high level of intensity and energy. He is very important to us.”
Brissett finished with two points, three rebounds and three steals. He posted a +18 in 12 minutes, tying Brown for the highest mark in the game.
Before Thursday, Brissett only saw the court in the playoffs during garbage time and maxed out at five minutes. He talked about the mentality change 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 stepped up in these games. The practice, the film, just talking among the guys, that’s definitely a couple steps up, a couple levels up.
“And you know, this would be my first time with a championship team. It’s amazing. I really feel like I’ve been locked in, really focused on all the little details and things that I’d never 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 overlooked by box score observers, it certainly wasn’t overlooked by his teammates.
“I’m happy 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 think that’s part of the sacrifice and him staying ready.
“I know it was hard for him to stay ready because you don’t really get game reps like that, but the way he came out and played (I think in the first two minutes there were two rebounds and big stops) I was really excited and I’m glad.” to see him do that because, on the one hand, it’s a boost of confidence and, on the other hand, it’s against his old team.
Not only did Brissett bring energy to the court, but he also appears to have added a shake 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 in the media, Jrue Holiday simply 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 his success with Brissett in the mix and Tatum in the five in Game 2, they could opt for the small lineup even if Kornet is healthy.
Either way, the Celtics are confident in their ability to take on the team on their way to a berth in the NBA Finals.
“They do a great job of controlling the chaos. They move the ball, they move their bodies, they play fast,” Holiday said of the Pacers. “But we can do that too. We can do it small, we can do it big, we can slow it down, we can play fast, we can execute.”
The Celtics will look to take a 3-0 series lead when the series shifts to Indiana on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 pm ET.
Coverage of Game 3 begins at 7:30 p.m. with Celtics pregame live on NBC Sports Boston.
