East Finals preview: What is to be expected in the Celtics-Pacers matchup?
The expectations for the playoffs couldn’t be more different for the highly-favored Celtics and the upcoming Pacers.
By Steve Aschburner
May 20, 2024 01:51 PM
When I was a kid when Rick Carlisle’s shoes might have offered his team a short motivational speech — in Pat Riley style — about taking “three suits, three shirts, three ties” when they headed for New York for Sunday’s Game 7 against the Knicks. In the end, a win on Sunday was a requirement for the team. Indiana needed to fly straight to Boston to play Games 1 as well as 2 in the Eastern Conference Finals starting on Wednesday ( 8 ET, ESPN).
Not anymore: Suits and ties along the sidelines went away due to the COVID-caused Orlando “bubble.” One or two sets of fleece will carry a coach throughout the entire postseason. It is getting more difficult in the case of Carlisle along with his athletes.
The Pacers were able to participate in their very first East Finals since 2014. They entered the playoffs with the no. 6 seed, but they beat Milwaukee and then beat New York and now face the top team in the conference. Boston is making it’s sixth East Finals appearance in the previous eight seasons.
The Celtics beat Indiana in the season-long series against Indiana with a score of 3-2. They played Indiana Pacers five times due to the in-season Tournament. Boston beat Indiana with an average 129.0 and 116.8 scores per matchwhich was the Pacers largest loss (-12.2) in any game against anyone.
Don’t get too excited about Indiana’s incredible shooting during the Game 7 clincher at Madison Square Garden. It was a soaring shooting performance by the Pacers shot 46.8 percent all-around and 31.8 percentage from deep in their game against Boston during five of their meetings which is a significant drop from their average of 82 games.
Series schedule
Here’s how to watch Celtics match against. Pacers series:
At all times Eastern Daylight Time
Game 1: Pacers vs. Celtics, Tuesday (8 p.m., ESPN)
Game 2: Pacers vs. Celtics, Thursday (8 p.m., ESPN)
Game 3: Celtics vs. Pacers, Saturday (8:30 p.m., ABC)
Game 4: Celtics vs. Pacers, May 27 (8 p.m., ESPN)
Game 5: Pacers vs. Celtics, May 29 (8 p.m., ESPN) *
Game 6: Celtics vs. Pacers, May 31 (8 p.m., ESPN) *
Game 7: Pacers vs. Celtics, June 2 (8 p.m., ESPN) *
* = If necessary
Top storyline
Haliburton on the other hand. Boston’s defense. Haliburton Indiana’s floor general and point guard was widely urged to increase his aggression against the Knicks.
It was successful. He scored 24 points on 17.5 shots during the Pacers victory, in comparison with 17.6 as well as 11.3 for the other three losses.
“Aggression to me isn’t shots, it’s getting two feet in the paint,” Haliburton declared on Sunday.
Okay But the Celtics are a different story completely. Keep in mind that Boston and Indiana scored a 1-2 mark offensively in the season and 2-24 on defense. Haliburton’s performance slowed in the four games that he was in for the series: only 15.8 points at shooting 41% (vs. 20.1 as well as 47.7 percent in the overall).
The Knicks have found some ways to contain the player till they run out gas and healthier bodies. Boston could dispatch a team of defensive players, starting with All-Defensive players Jrue Holiday as well as Derrick White. There are Jaylen Brown Jayson Tatum, and Payton Pritchard to move around.
Indiana must keep up its speed as the Celtics half-court defense is able to block Haliburton’s offense he attempts to start.
Keep your eyes on
Two point guards who are a nuisance as backups. If Indiana is present in the facility (particularly its throwback-style Fieldhouse) Someone might be thinking about “Hoosiers,” and Pritchard and T.J. McConnell seem straight off the roster. They’re both high-energy and high impact, perfect for 15 minutes of caffeine boost.
Pritchard is completing 42.9 percent of his three-point attempts this season and is the Celtics the team’s designated last-ditch player to sprint up court and throw heaves towards the end of quarters. McConnell is in a similar position in Indiana and has seen his minutes and contribution increase when he reacted defense on Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson.
The greatest benefit for these guys is when they spend hours harassing the opposing principal players. If their timetables are in sync and they fight and have fun, that’s a good thing as well. In the end, one or other will speak to the group and declare, “I’ll make it.”
1 more thing to watch for each team
Could Pacers their depth give them some advantage against the highly-seeded Celtics up to the point that Kristaps Porzingis is back?
To be used by the Celtics:In terms of progress, Boston did not miss Kristaps Porzingis in the game against Cleveland however they did slip into isolated-heavy offenses as an all-five-out team. The return of their injured center at some point during this series may help improve his efficiency and help him get ready for a possible Finals. Size is more important for any team from the West. Porzingis is missing since Game 5 against Miami due to the left soleus (calf) strain He isn’t likely to play in either of the games in this series, however, may be back later in this series.
To Pacers:Nesmith is the Pacers defensive player who often faces the toughest matchups for a player. Tatum is the top scorer in Boston and has been ranked in the Top 6 of Kia’s MVP polls over the last three seasons and has been taking the heat recently to increase his game-time player. There’s also an additional story behind the player. They were teammates for two seasons following the Celtics were drafted by the Celtics Nesmith at the number. 14 in 2020. Nesmith could also serve as the final crucial piece remaining for Indiana from the five-for-one 2022 deal that sent Malcolm Brogdon to Boston. Nesmith will not be able to shut Tatum down, but a timely interruption and a low level of fouling could benefit the Pacers greatly.
1 key number to know
79 79 Through the 10 playoff games in the playoffs, the Celtics have only played the bare minimum of 79 second “clutch time,” where the score was within five points during the final 5 minutes in the 4th quarter. 9 of their games (including the two loss) were determined by more than double-digits.
The 79 seconds of decisive time occurred during Game 4 in the semifinals of conference play in Cleveland and the Celtics were ahead by nine with five minutes to go. The Cavs came close to 5 time following the game, but couldn’t make it any further, with Celtics scoring six points. Celtics score six point in four crucial offensive plays.
That’s why the Celtics although they were 4th in the league’s point ratio per hundred clutch games (+15.4) during their regular-season games, didn’t get many games during the playoffs. 14 of the sixteen playoff teams have played the chance to play with 3 points within the last 3 minutes The one exception being Boston and the team that played in the first round (Miami).
The Pacers have played four games that were clutch during the playoffs, and have won two of them, which included playing well in the two do or die game elimination with New York. Tyrese Haliburton is struggling throughout the four games that were close with a shooting percentage of 2-10 (including the 0-6 mark from the 3-point distance) on shots that were crucial. However, it was the Pacers have scored 33 point in 22 decisive possessions to win two of three games of the regular-season against Boston which were just five points apart within the final five minutes.
The pick
Celtics with five. Why five? Because the Celtics showed they are not able to beat Miami as well as Cleveland they aren’t able to sweep, regardless of how much the odds are. It doesn’t matter what number they are, in any case. Boston will be the one that’s under the pressure here. Boston has won an additional 17 games over Indiana in the course of the season, and has slammed the door to winning a title for the majority of the Tatum-Brown period. The Pacers however had a great start to win 47 times and are now just coming off a 3-year drought in playoffs. In this game, Boston wins on experience as well as depth and speed.
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since the year 1980. You can contact him via email here, browse his archives here, and follow his blog on X.
The opinions expressed on this page don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of the NBA its clubs, or the NBA itself. Warner Bros. Discovery.
