INDIANAPOLIS -- Quite possibly the most jarring statistic from the Celtics' 113-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers Saturday night at Conseco Fieldhouse was fast-break points.
The Pacers, who knew these aging Celtics were coming in on the heels of a tough loss to Atlanta on Friday night, put an increased focus on keeping the tempo up and finished with a 27-6 advantage in that category.
For a Celtics team that prides itself on transition defense, that number is staggering. Consider this: The Celtics have trailed in that category in just two games -- a win over New Orleans (10-7) and a loss to Phoenix (12-6).
The Celtics entered the game with a 125-77 advantage over opponents in fast-break points. The Pacers helped close that gap dramatically with an unrelenting attack.
"They would have liked for the game to be in the 80s," said Pacers coach Jim O'Brien. "We tried to create the tempo whether we were up or down."
One of the reasons for Indiana's success was its own ability to negate the Celtics' fast-break opportunities with its transition defense. That was particularly evident in the third quarter, when Indiana rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit, and logged a 9-0 advantage in fast-break points (converting on all four opportunities it had on the break and not allowing a single Boston break that quarter).
"They had more energy," said Celtics center Kendrick Perkins. "Their transition defense was incredible at times. At the end of the day, they just played harder."