BOSTON — Tyrese Haliburton and Oshae Brissett texted each other all year, Brissett’s first away from his former teammate and one of Haliburton’s best friends. Haliburton hosted him at his house when Boston visited Indiana for back-to-back games in January. The Celtics had already built a seven-game edge on the Pacers then, but Haliburton continued to tell Brissett that they’d meet in the East Finals. That became reality this week, and the pleasantries ended.
“Usually we get dinner or something before we play,” Haliburton said on Wednesday after Game 1. “But we’re not doing that during this.