INDIANAPOLIS — This time, a trip to the Eastern Conference finals by the Boston Celtics ended without any clamoring from the public and the press box that the coach must go and, oh, by the way, let’s aim a wrecking ball at the roster.

This time, it ended with the Celtics emerging with a 105-102 victory over the Indiana Pacers Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to complete a sweep of the Indiana Pacers. Some rapid-fire play-by-play is required here, beginning with how the Celtics, trailing for most of the night, went on a late 10-2 run. Jayson Tatum made it 100-100 with a driving dunk, and then, ahem, series MVP Jaylen Brown tied it again, this time 102-102, with an 8-foot jump shot. Brown next delivered defense, blocking Andrew Nembhard’s would-be 3-pointer with 1:05 remaining.

And then? And then it ended, for all practical purposes, with Derrick White nailing a 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining, this after the Celtics had rallied from an 8-point deficit with 5:56 remaining and a 5-point deficit with 4:14 to go.

Yes, White’s game-winner happened to fall on the first anniversary of his improbable game-winning buzzer-beater against Miami in Game 6 of last year’s Eastern Conference finals, but that’s just fodder for Trivia Night at the local sports bar, folks. In the real world, especially the real NBA, it means nothing. For these 2024 playoff Celtics are not those 2023 playoff Celtics, who rallied for three straight victories after losing the first three games and then got blown out in Game 7 at TD Garden. Nope, these Celtics are not those Celtics at all, a point that was made by Brown after the game when he said, “We have a different team every year, different coaches. We’ve had like three coaches in the last five years. And still, people want to make it seem like it’s the same, it’s the same, it’s the same. Time has gone by. Experience has been gained. And we are ready to put our best foot forward.”

Brown is correct, of course. Just as he was correct, and really, really funny, when asked if he was surprised to be named series MVP. “I wasn’t expecting it at all,” he said. “I never win (expletive), so …”

GO DEEPER

Jaylen Brown wins Eastern Conference finals MVP

The yuck-yuck is that Brown didn’t walk away with any of the individual regular-season awards that a lot of NBA fans, including an NBA fan named Jaylen Brown, thought he should have won. It’s nice to roll it out there that Brown proved his skeptics wrong with his stellar effort against the Pacers — the 3-pointer from the corner to win Game 1 in overtime, the 40-point effort in Game 2, the solid two-way play in Game 4 — but it’s more than that. Yes, the Celtics “have a different team every year,” but this is where it’s the same, it’s the same, it’s the same: These are the Tatum/Brown Celtics, or, for those who believe placement on the marquee is important, the Brown/Tatum Celtics. It’s their time, their very own era, and they haven’t delivered a championship yet. Now they’re in the NBA Finals for the second time in three years, but with a better supporting cast — especially if Kristaps Porziņģis returns.

And so if expectations mean anything — and they do, they do — the Celtics have won nothing yet. There’s simply no scenario by which a Celtic fail in the NBA Finals against Dallas or Minnesota will be spun into silver linings, life lessons or glasses half-filled. But that’s for later on. For now, for today, the Celtics’ magnificent eyes-on-the-prize work ethic is to be saluted.

Couple what happened in Game 4 with what happened in Game 3, when Boston rallied to victory after trailing by 18 points, and what we have here is a team that every coach at every level can use for show-and-tell when explaining that talented teams don’t win on talent alone. They also win because they’re capable of old-fashioned gut checks.

“We feel comfortable in any type of game,” White said. “We feel like we have the answers for anything teams throw at us, no matter what the scenario is.”

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Much will be written that the Pacers conveniently rolled over for the Celtics in this series. They probably should have won Game 1, and they could have won Games 3 and 4. They also have a lot of unhappy fans who believe Brown should have received a flagrant with 7:23 remaining when he inadvertently struck T.J. McConnell in the face — hard — as the Pacer was grabbing a rebound. It was ruled a common foul. “We feel that it was unfortunate, but it did not rise to the level of a flagrant foul,” crew chief Zach Zarba said, per a pool report.

There’s room for a grown-up discussion as to how that play should have been adjudicated. Kevin McHale clotheslining Kurt Rambis it was not, but it was a hit with hair on it, even if delivered by accident.

To argue that the Pacers should have won this or that game is to take criticism of the Celtics to an absurd level. It’s like saying the Seattle Seahawks should have won Super Bowl XLIX but lost to the Patriots because Russell Wilson decided to throw the ball. It’s like saying the Red Sox should have won Game 6 of the 1986 World Series but lost because Bill Buckner had the ball go between his legs.

Stop that. Really, stop it. The Celtics are now 12-2 in the playoffs. But they’re not mauling everybody. They just happen to be the team with the best record and the best gut checks.

(Photo of Derrick White’s winning shot over Aaron Nesmith: Dylan Buell / Getty Images)

A leaked video circulating on social media appears to show Scottie Scheffler’s side of the story after the two-time major winner was arrested just outside Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky before the second round of the PGA Championship earlier this month.

The video, which was initially posted on Facebook before being shared on X by Golf Digest’s Alex Myers, appears to show a conversation between Scheffler and an officer after he was taken into custody by the Louisville Metro Police Department. 

In the clip, Scheffler explained that he did not know that the man trying to get his attention was an officer and that he was following traffic directions given to him by another police officer. He went on to admit that he “should’ve stopped” regardless, but added, “I did get a little impatient because I’m quite late for my tee time.” 

But the PGA Tour star also revealed that Detective ​​Bryan Gillis, who was identified as the officer involved in the incident, got “over aggressive” during their interaction. 

“As he was reaching the car, he grabbed my shoulder and hit me,” Scheffler can be heard saying.  

“It seemed to be a little over aggressive because the entrance was open.” 

“I was afraid he was going to start hitting me and I didn’t know who he was,” he continued. “He didn’t tell me he was a police officer, all I saw was the yellow jacket. I didn’t know what he was doing.” 

The officer speaking with Scheffler, who was not identified, explained that Gillis was wearing a uniform and jacket that said “police.”

In this still image made from video provided by ESPN, Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is escorted by police after being handcuffed near Valhalla Golf Club, site of the PGA Championship, early on May 17, 2024. (ESPN via AP)

POLICE OFFICER WHO ARRESTED SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER HAS BEEN SUSPENDED, REPRIMANDED MULTIPLE TIMES: REPORT

“So what happened is, you kept going, and you took him with you while he’s a pedestrian. So you took him with your car and dragged him, which is not a good thing. To make it even worse, when he asked you to get out of the car, you refused to get out of the car.” 

Scheffler defended himself, again saying that he only refused to exit the car because he was unaware that the interaction he was having was with a police officer. 

“If I knew he was a police officer, I would’ve been much more less afraid, but the panic kind of set in. As you can see, I’m still shaking because I was afraid – I didn’t know who he was. He didn’t say, ‘Police, get out of the car.’ He just hit me with this flashlight and yelled ‘Get out of the car.’” 

Scottie Scheffler reacts to a putt during the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on May 18, 2024, in Louisville. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The officer in the video also detailed the injuries to Gillis. 

“You actually hurt him and he’s a police officer. He’s got a huge scrape on his knee. He’s getting checked by EMS, a big bruise.” 

Scheffler, 27, is facing four charges, including felony assault over injuries to a Louisville police officer sustained during the encounter. The Jefferson County district attorney is expected to speak in court on Wednesday about the case. 

The Louisville Metro Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Bronny James’ agent says the son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer will remain in the 2024 NBA draft after playing one year of college basketball at USC.

“He’s staying in the draft,” Klutch Sports Chief Executive Rich Paul said in an interview with ESPN published early Wednesday, less than 24 hours before the 11:59 p.m. Eastern time NCAA deadline James had to make the decision.

The son of Lakers superstar LeBron James and a former McDonald’s All-American who starred at Chatsworth Sierra Canyon High, Bronny James suffered sudden cardiac arrest last summer before joining the Trojans on the court in December. He averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25 games with USC.

Last month, James declared for the NBA draft while also entering the NCAA transfer portal and maintaining his college eligibility.

“Bronny’s [draft] range is wide,” Paul told ESPN. “He’s a really good prospect who has a lot of room for growth. It only takes one team. I don’t care where that team is — it can be No. 1 or 58 — [but] I do care about the plan, the development. The team’s strategy, the opportunity and the financial commitment. That’s why I’m not doing a two-way deal. Every team understands that.”

LeBron James said earlier in his career that his dream was to one day play with his oldest son in the NBA. James, who can opt out of his contract with the Lakers this summer, has since backed off that statement in favor of allowing his son to follow his own path.

According to The Times’ Dan Woike, the assumption within the Lakers organization and around the NBA is that James will opt out of his current deal and sign a new two- or three-year contract with the Lakers for maximum money.

“The Lakers need to look at Bronny like everyone else,” Paul told ESPN. “If they value him enough and he’s there, that’s great. If it’s not the Lakers, that’s great. I won’t be mad if it’s not. It’s obvious that people hear the conversation around the dad and son playing together, but that’s not our focus. If it happens organically, great. I’m not building on that.

“I’m not putting unrealistic expectations on Bronny. He’s far from a finished product. But he has a hell of [a] start. He’s positioned well. … I don’t see him not getting drafted, but if it got to a point where the situations didn’t make sense and we needed to go undrafted, that’s fine.”

The Lakers could take James in the first or second round of next month’s draft. The Lakers’ first-round pick at No. 17 depends on whether the New Orleans Pelicans defer it to 2025. The Lakers have the No. 55 pick in the second round.