Oshae Brissett made the key impact in the Celtics’ Game 2 win
It took an injury in Game 2 to get Boston Celtics forward Oshae Brissett on the floor, but once he got in the game he made an impact.
Injuries forced Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla to try a new lineup combination in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. As a result, the Celtics may have found another tool to add to their already deep, deep toolbox.
Late in the first quarter of Thursday night’s 126-110 win over the Indiana Pacers, center Luke Kornet left the game with a wrist injury. With their frontcourt depth already tested with Kristaps Porzingis out with a calf injury, the Celtics got creative.
Rather than turning to trade deadline acquisition forward Xavier Tillman to fill in as an undersized five, the Celtics went small altogether. It was Oshae Brissett who was added to the lineup instead, bumping Jayson Tatum to the five and allowing the Celtics to play with a very athletic grouping.
“I mean, it was a plan to just stay open-minded,” Mazzulla said after the game. “I knew every game is gonna be different, especially with these guys and their ability to just put pressure on you in different ways with their lineup. So it was a plan to get to something like that, eventually. We were kinda forced into it, but I thought it went well. I liked the speed, I liked the athleticism, I liked the spacing that we had. So, it presents strengths and some weaknesses that we have to be ready for, but I think the open-mindedness throughout the to play different ways kind of prepares us for a situation like this.”

Not only did Brissett play well in that lineup, but stayed on the floor and continued to give the Celtics quality minutes when Al Horford checked back in the game for a more traditional grouping. The Celtics would later go back to that look in the fourth quarter.
“Just his presence, his energy, his athleticism,” Mazzulla said when asked what Brissett brings when he’s on the floor. “Just gave us – I think he had a dunk, got a steal, got us out in transition with a couple rebounds. He plays with such a high level of intensity and energy. It’s big for us.”
In total Brissett played 12 minutes in Game 2 – his first 12 non-garbage-time minutes of these playoffs. He scored two points and grabbed three rebounds, and his plus-18 was tied with Jaylen Brown for the best on the team.

“I was just trying everything I can to get the win,” Brissett told reporters after the game. Tried everything I can to give us some energy. I feel like we were playing really well. But going in at that time could definitely turn things around, positive or negative. So I think I did a good job of turning us in the positive way and keeping that energy up.”
“It’s exciting. Really, really exciting,” Brissett continued. “That was my first time playing like this. So just trying to soak it all in.”
Perhaps making things even sweeter for Brissett was that this came against his former team. Brissett played for the Pacers for the previous three seasons before the Celtics signed him as a free agent in the offseason.
“It’s obviously a little extra fuel for me. But, they’re a completely different team,” Brissett said when asked about the Pacers. “They made some changes, they made some trades, and they play a little different. But at the end of the day they’re just who who’s in front of us. Myself included, I don’t look at – just the fact that I was on the team, I don’t really pay attention to that.”
Whether or not this was a one off moment, or if Oshae Brissett will remain a part of the Celtics’ playoff rotation is something to watch moving forwards. Some of that may end up depending on when Kornet and/or Porzingis return. If they do need to go back to him though, Brissett proved he’s up to the task.