Celtics get their dominance on: Thoughts on a blowout win vs Pacers

How do the Boston Celtics silence the noise of their post-All Star break struggles? Simply win and dominate teams with the 2022-23 NBA season winding down.

After running the Sacramento Kings off the court in the finale of a six-game road trip, the Celtics returned to TD Garden and stirred up some home cooking in a 120-95 blowout win against the Indiana Pacers Friday night.

This one was impressive because the Pacers have played them tough this season. It looked like it would be another close game Indiana hung tough through the first half, but it was just something about the energy the Celtics played with that smelled an eventual blowout.

Jayson Tatum was driving to the bucket, the ball was moving on offense, the team was active defensively and it all came together to start the third as an 11-0 spurt pretty much broke the game open.

While Tatum did his thing, it was the other star, Jaylen Brown, who was in the middle of the 11-0 run scoring 7 of the 11 points to stretch a small half-time lead to 14.  That lead grew to as many as 29 points behind Tatum, Brown and key contributions from Derrick White, Marcus Smart, Rob Williams, and Grant Williams.

The encouraging part of the blowout win is that the Celtics kept their foot on the petal, which has been an issue during their recent struggles. But with the way they handled the Pacers in the second half, it proves the C’s were suffering more from a case of boredom than anything deeper than that.

Derrick White continues to prove he is a big factor in Celtics success

When it comes to the third most important player on this year’s Boston Celtics team, there are a few players who could stake that claim on any given night.  But the one player who has been consistent and consistently on the court is Derrick White.

On Friday night, White added 22 points, but what stood out along with this defense was his passing.  White finished the game with nine assists while playing 38 minutes on the floor further proving his value as a playmaker on the court.

"“D-White is like the ultimate teammate,” Tatum said following the game, via Masslive.com.  “He’s one hell of a basketball player, smart on both ends of the floor, can create, pass and shoot.  He can be too unselfish sometimes, so just encouraging him to be aggressive and be himself.  Just makes us a much better team.”"

That showed in Friday night’s game as White looked for his shot more.  While the three-point shot has been there for the Celtics guard, he is being more aggressive driving to the rim which is setting up his ability as a passer.  Want proof?  Look at this highlight below:

Speaking of Celtics big man Robert Williams

If White has been an important factor, Boston Celtics big man Robert Williams is the X-factor when it comes to the goal for this team.

His energy when healthy and on the court just takes this team to another level and along with the highlight shown above, Williams was just active on both sides of the court.  Defensively, his presence helped neutralize Pacers big man Myles Turner and offensively, he is a dunk machine.  But, it is on the defensive end where the presence of Williams makes everyone on the court better.

"“Rob is fantastic.  Rob is the key,” Brown said, via Celtics.com.  “We’ve just got to keep Rob healthy, keep his mindset strong, keep finding him when he gets to the basket.  He’s such an impactful player on both ends of the floor, so anytime he’s out there, he makes our team a lot better.”"

That is something every Boston Celtics fan knows, that is why the health of Robert Williams has been frustrating at times.  If this man is healthy and, on the court, the team is unbeatable…well, as long as they are engaged.