One of the few weaknesses the Boston Celtics had this season was stepping up in clutch moments.
Sure, their clutch stats in the regular season weren't horrible by any means, but there were plenty of games in which the team failed to execute at a high level in these high-pressure moments. There also have been too many instances in recent playoff runs where the Celtics struggled in clutch situations.
It's hard to be concerned about the Celtics' ability to thrive in the clutch right now, though. They put on a clutch clinic versus the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
More Celtics coverage
Boston's impressive sweep included three clutch wins and, among other mind-blowing stats, a crazy 43.9 net rating in clutch situations.
Here are a couple wild clutch stats from the Pacers series, courtesy of NBC Sports Boston's Celtics stats guru Dick Lipe:
Boston's ball movement and shot selection late in games during the playoffs have been really good. The offense is getting good shots and scoring points.
One great example came on the series-winning 3-pointer by Derrick White. Jaylen Brown drove to the basket, didn't force up a bad shot and found an open White in the corner to give the C's a 105-102 lead that they ultimately held for a Game 4 win Monday night.
The Celtics aren't just thriving in the clutch offensively. The defense has been stellar in these moments, too.
Forcing nine turnovers in 19 clutch minutes is quite a feat. The Pacers didn't take care of the ball, but most of those struggles were the result of the Celtics' aggressive defense, most notably Jrue Holiday's clutch steal late in Game 3.
The Celtics will face a tough test from a clutch perspective in the NBA Finals, especially if they play the Dallas Mavericks, who have a 3-0 series lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals.
Mavericks guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are two of the best closers in the sport. Irving, of course, hit one of the most clutch shots in league history to win Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Doncic has hit a couple clutch shots against the Timberwolves, including a 3-pointer that decided Game 2 of the series.
The Celtics have responded well in clutch situations throughout the playoffs. They need to maintain that success for a couple more weeks to close out this journey with Banner 18.