Celtics Complete Gritty Comeback Against Pacers: Jaylen Brown Hears “M-V-P” Chants
If you turned off the Celtics game in the first half, nobody blames you. Seriously. It was ugly. It was the kind of ugly that makes you question if the Monstars from Space Jam sucked the talent out of the entire roster. The Pacers, a team that couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat from deep all season, suddenly morphed into the prime Golden State Warriors. They were raining threes like it was a shootout contest, and Boston looked… well, they looked like they were sleepwalking through mud.
Trailing by 20 points, the vibe inside TD Garden was somewhere between “nervous funeral” and “angry mob.” Indiana was 12-for-20 from downtown in the first half. Let me repeat that: 12-for-20. That’s video game numbers. Meanwhile, the Celtics couldn’t buy a bucket, stumbling into halftime down 18 points. It felt over.
However, then, Joe Mazzulla did something that makes you wonder if he’s a mad genius or just mad.
Mazzulla’s Bold Gamble Pays Off
Early in the third quarter, with the starters still looking sluggish and the lead not budging, Mazzulla had seen enough. He didn’t just tweak the lineup; he detonated it. He yanked all five starters—Brown, White, Pritchard, Queta, Minott—and threw in the “Bench Mob.”
Enter Luka Garza, Anfernee Simons, Sam Hauser, Hugo González and Baylor Scheierman.
On paper, this lineup against a hot Pacers team sounds like a recipe for disaster. In reality? It was the spark that lit the fuse. This unit didn’t play pretty basketball, but they played hard basketball. They scrapped, they clawed, and they made the Pacers uncomfortable. Luka Garza was an absolute animal on the offensive glass, snagging five offensive rebounds and playing like his career depended on every loose ball.
The rookie, Hugo González, was a revelation. The kid played 37 minutes—a career-high—and was a +20. Think about that. A 19-year-old rookie stepped onto the floor in a massive deficit and essentially told the veterans, “I got this.” He brought an energy that was infectious, flying around on defense and making winning plays that don’t always show up in the box score (though 11 rebounds certainly do). Jayson Tatum even interrupted González’s post-game interview to drop a colorful compliment about how tough the kid is. That’s the seal of approval right there.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the ship had been steadied. The “Bench Mob” didn’t win the game outright, but they stopped the bleeding and dragged the Celtics back within striking distance. It was the perfect setup for the main event.
Jaylen Brown Takes Over
Jaylen Brown, fresh off an illness that kept him out against Toronto, looked a little rusty early on. But in the fourth quarter? He was the best player on the planet.
Brown poured in 14 of his game-high 31 points in the final frame, putting the team on his back. The signature moment came late in the game. In a sequence that felt like déjà vu for Pacers fans, Brown caught an inbound pass in the corner—the exact same spot where he hit that iconic shot in the Eastern Conference Finals—and buried a high-arching three. Nothing but net. The Garden exploded.
It was the dagger. It pushed the lead to five, and you could feel the Pacers’ spirit break.
When Brown stepped to the free-throw line shortly after, the “M-V-P” chants started raining down. Sure, he missed the first free throw (because the basketball gods love irony), but the sentiment was real. Brown has been the heartbeat of this team during this stretch, carrying them while they navigate injuries and roster turnover. He’s averaging over 30 points in his last 10 games. That is superstar stuff.
Winning Ugly is Still Winning
This wasn’t a masterpiece. It wasn’t the kind of win you frame and put on the wall. But in the NBA, style points don’t count in the standings.
The Celtics shot poorly early, defended lazily for a stretch, and had to rely on a ragtag group of bench players to save them. And yet, they won. They improved to 18-11 and secured their third straight victory.
That’s the hallmark of a good team. You don’t have to play your best game to win; you just have to play better than the other guys for the 48 minutes that matter. The Celtics showed resilience, mental toughness, and a refusal to fold when things got tough.
They head out on a long road trip now, starting with a rematch against these same Pacers on Friday. You can bet Indiana will be looking for revenge, and Jaylen Brown—who noted some trash talk from Bennedict Mathurin—will be ready.
For now, Boston fans can breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a W. And sometimes, those ugly, gritty, come-from-behind wins are the most satisfying of all.
