Two seasons after joining the Celtics, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward finally got their first taste of playoff basketball in Boston on Sunday afternoon. Their debut turned out to be worth the wait, as a huge third quarter powered the Celtics to an 84-74 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1.
It may have been the two All-Stars’ debut, but it was the defense that stole the show in TD Garden this afternoon. The game was often an ugly affair — both teams shot worse than 40% from the field and combined for a whopping 29 turnovers, while making just 16 of 55 shots from range.