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Boston Celtics Need to Keep Offense Rolling Against the Pacers

By Joshua Bateman

BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 12: Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics looks tp pass the ball durinhg the first quarter of the game against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden on November 12, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 12: Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics looks tp pass the ball durinhg the first quarter of the game against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden on November 12, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics need to prove they can consistently win with offense by keeping up the scoring against the Pacers

The Boston Celtics have already won 17 games this season, but we still have not seen them string together multiple great performance on offense. There have been individuals who have been bringing the offense each and every night, but the overall team has struggled to find any kind of consistency.

Their victory against the Orlando Magic was their most complete and deep offensive performance of the season, and they will be in a position to keep that going against the Pacers. The back to back adds a bit more pressure, but the blowout last night gave them some extra rest, and Brad Stevens has always been good on back to backs.

The Indiana Pacers also have a defense that the Celtics can attack. They are giving up 107 points per game, and they are fifth worst in the league, allowing their opponents to shoot 47 percent overall. They have been much better against the three, but not good enough to make the Celtics fear the offense will disappear.

Against the Magic, the Celtics were moving the ball wonderfully, and everyone was taking advantage of their opportunities. The Pacers are not the kind of defense that will consistency prevent the Celtics form getting their top shots, so it should come down to how many players are able to repeat what they did last night.

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The fear is that the Celtics have struggled to score against far worse defenses this season. They have had far too many games where multiple players are missing wide open shots, with a second unit that could not score against anyone.

Now that we have seen some of the offensive potential of this team, it is going to be even more frustrating if they cannot keep it up on a consistent basis. The defense has shown up on a nightly basis, and the surprise is always going to be when they do not perform well. The Celtics have individuals they always expect to perform on offense, but they need to make more progress before we can expect the overall offense to perform on a consistent basis.

One clear key early on was Al Horford. The Celtics have individuals that can score, but nobody has the kind of impact Horford does for his teammates. He is the one player on the team that can have a quiet scoring night, and still be as important as anyone on that end. His eight first quarter assists set the tone for the rest of the game against the Magic, because he was finding open men every single time.

The Celtics need to once again set that tone early on, so they are never pressing. At no point did it feel as though the Celtics were forcing anything against the Magic, and they should have full control over that against the Pacers. The Pacers are not a particularly disruptive team, and the Celtics should have enough control over the shots they are generating.

Unfortunately, it is still too hard to trust that everyone will be hitting those shots like they did against the Magic. That being said, if they keep getting those open looks, enough of them will fall to beat a team like the Pacers with the way their defense has been playing.

The Celtics need to stay in rhythm, and keep everyone comfortable. They have been a bit all over the place on that end this season, but we are starting to see more and more things work together. More roles are being defined right now, and it should be a lot easier for everyone to get more comfortable as the season goes on.

Next: Terry Rozier Needs to Have a Consistent Impact

The Pacers will present a bigger challenge than the Magic did last night, but the Celtics need to show everyone that they can start playing consistently great offense. If that is the case, the Celtics should be in line for another big win.

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