Preview of the East Finals What to anticipate from the series between the Celtics and Pacers.
In the good old days, a coach like Rick Carlisle would have encouraged his players, a la Pat Riley, to bring “three suits, three shirts, and three ties” when they traveled to New York for Sunday’s Game 7 against the Knicks. After all, a victory on Sunday would have required Indiana to take a direct flight to Boston for the Eastern Conference Finals’ first and second games, which begin on Tuesday at 8 PM ET on ESPN.
No more: the Orlando “bubble” brought an end to the wearing of suits and ties on the sidelines as a result of COVID.
Just one or two sets of woolen garments may last a coach the entire postseason, as Carlisle and his players have demonstrated over this extended period of time.
For the first time since 2014, the Pacers have advanced to the East Finals. Starting as the sixth seed in the playoffs, they have already defeated Milwaukee, New York, and now the best team in the conference. For the sixth time in the last eight seasons, Boston is headed to the East Finals.
Due to the in-season tournament, the Celtics faced the Pacers five times and prevailed in the season series 3-2 versus Indiana. Boston’s average score per game was 129.0 compared to 116.8 for Indiana, which was the Pacers’ biggest loss (-12.2) against any opponent.
In the Game 7 finale at Madison Square Garden, Indiana’s scorching-hot shooting should not be taken too personally. The Pacers shot 31.8% from long range and 46.8% overall throughout the course of their five meetings with Boston, which is a considerable decline from their 82-game average.
Timetable of Series
The following is how to watch the Pacers vs. Celtics series:
Eastern Daylight Time is used at all times.
Game 1: Tuesday (8 PM, ESPN) – Pacers vs. Celtics
– Thursday (8 PM, ESPN): Pacers versus. Celtics, Game 2.
Celtics versus. Pacers, Game 3, Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC
– May 27, 8 PM, ESPN: Celtics versus. Pacers, Game 4
– May 29 (8 PM, ESPN): Pacers versus. Celtics, Game 5.
– May 31 (8 PM, ESPN): Celtics versus. Pacers, Game 6.
– June 2 (8 PM, ESPN): Pacers vs. Celtics, Game 7.
= if required
Best Narratives
Defenders of Boston vs. Haliburton: Haliburton, the floor general and point guard for Indiana, was openly encouraged to play more aggressively against the Knicks.
It was successful. He averaged 24 points on 17.5 shots in the Pacers’ four victories as opposed to 17.6 points on 11.3 shots in their three defeats.
As of Sunday, Haliburton stated Aggression, to me, is about getting two feet in the paint rather than about making the shot.
Yes, but the Celtics provide a very different kind of difficulty. Recall that this season, Boston and Indiana are ranked 2–24 defensively but 1-2 offensively. In the four games they participated in, Haliburton’s output decreased to just 15.8 points on 41% shooting (as opposed to 20.1 points and 47.7% overall).
The Knicks managed to slow him down until their bodies and gas ran out. From All-Defensive hopefuls Jrue Holiday and Derrick White to Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Payton Pritchard, Boston can send a plethora of defenders at him.
Indiana must keep up their pace since Haliburton and any offense he tries to start can be stifled by the Celtics’ half-court defense.
Maintain Focus
T.J. McConnell and Pritchard seem like they belong on the cast of “Hoosiers,” and if Indiana is in the building (especially its historic Fieldhouse), someone is thinking about the movie. These are both quite impactful and high-energy, providing a 15–20 minute caffeine spike.
Pritchard is the Celtics’ go-to guy for last-minute runs or heaves, and he is making 42.9% of his 3-pointers this postseason. Similar in his role, McConnell has been getting more minutes and making more contributions for Indiana as he has been harassing Knicks star Jalen Brunson defensively.
The most significant role for these men is when they put in the time to harass the main players of the opposition. But it should be amusing if their minutes coincide and they simply go after each other. I can make that, someone in the crowd will eventually remark.
For the Celtics: Boston missed Kristaps Porzingis against Cleveland, but as a five-out team, it also lacked some isolation-heavy offensive. Restoring order and preparing for a potential Finals could be achieved if their injured center returns at any point during this series. In games against any Western team, size will matter more. Although Porzingis isn’t anticipated to participate in Games 1 or 2 this week due to a right foot (calf) ailment, he may make a comeback later in the series. Porzingis hasn’t played since Game 5 against Miami.
Nesmith, a defender for the Pacers, usually gets the hardest individual matchups. The leading scorer for Boston, Tatum has recently been under pressure to improve his postseason performances. Over the past three years, he has placed among the top six candidates for the Kia MVP award. This has a bit more backstory. Nesmith and the Celtics were teammates for two seasons following Nesmith’s 14th-round 2020 lottery pick. Nesmith is moreover the only noteworthy component of the 5-for-1 2022 transaction that brought Malcolm Brogdon to Boston that is still with Indiana.
Yes, of course! The complete Hindi text has been translated into a nice English tone here:
Tatum won’t be fully shut down by the Pacers, but they may gain a lot by making timely stops and committing few fouls.
Important Number to Remember
Only 79 seconds of “clutch time,” or when the score is within five points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, have the Celtics played through 10 playoff games. Double digits have determined nine of their ten games, including both of their losses.
With five minutes remaining in Game 4 of the conference playoffs in Cleveland, the Celtics led by nine points, and those 79 clutch-time seconds occurred. Three times the Cavaliers came within three points, but they were never able to pull away as the Celtics scored six baskets on four crucial offensive rebounds.
The Celtics haven’t had many close games in the postseason, despite ranking fourth in the regular season in point difference per 100 key possessions (+15.4). With the exception of Miami, the club they faced in the first round of the playoffs, and Boston, 14 of the 16 postseason teams have played at least one game within three points in the last three minutes.
In these playoffs, the Pacers have participated in four crucial games and emerged victorious in two of them, showcasing their finest performances in a pair of pivotal elimination matches versus New York. Tyrese Haliburton has not fared well in those close games, going just 2-for-10 (including 0 for 6) on clutch shots.
Forecast
Five for the Celtics. Why is five? Because, regardless of how good they appear, the Celtics cannot sweep after their performances against Miami and Cleveland. Anyhow, it isn’t really important how many games there are. Here, Boston is the team under siege. Throughout the season, they outscored Indiana by 17 games and have been a strong contender for the title for the whole of the Tatum-Brown period. The Pacers, on the other hand, are barely out of a three-year postseason drought despite their impressive 47 wins. Boston prevails in this game because of its depth, urgency, and experience.
