Pacers Coach Offers Glowing Analysis Of Celtics’ Jayson Tatum

Celtics star Jayson Tatum has collected 18 rebounds in the first two games against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals, setting the tone for Boston on the glass.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle recognizes that Tatum is not only an offensive threat but also has impressive abilities off the ball.

“He’s a great player,” Carlisle told reporters before Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, per Sports Illustraded’s Bobby Krivitsky. “First Team All-NBA, and so, I’m sure he has expectations to be that kind of guy, doesn’t surprise me one bit. I’m not shocked at all. Guy’s one of the best players in the world.”

Tatum not only made his presence known with rebounding in the first two games, but the 26-year-old dropped 36 points in Game 1 to lead all scorers and 23 in Game 2 behind Jaylen Brown’s 40 points.

Even with the Celtics leading the best-of-seven series 2-0, the Pacers came back from the same deficit to the New York Knicks and haven’t lost at home this postseason.

“It’s not time to relax,” Tatum told reporters before tip-off, per Krivitsky. “They were in this situation last round and ended up winning, so the series is far from over. It’s a big test for this team.”

The Pacers will have a harder time beating the Celtics without Tyrese Haliburton available for Game 3, and Carlisle made it clear that the guard did not have a choice in the matter.

“He very much wants to play, desperately wants to play,” Carlisle told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “But the decision on tonight was taken out of his hands earlier in the day. It was determined that tonight was not an option. He is feeling better. We’ll see where he is on Monday.”