Author: flceltsfan

The Celtics look to take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Pacers as the series heads to Indiana.

As the series moves to Indiana, the Celtics look to take a commending 3-0 lead in the series. The Pacers stayed with the Celtics throughout the first game and it was only due to their miscues and lack of poise at the end of regulation and in OT that the Celtics were able to pull out the win. They hung with the Celtics at the start of Game 2 but in the end, the Celtics were able to pull away for a comfortable win.

The Celtics are 10-2 in the playoffs so far. Their 2 losses were at home in Game 2 in both of the first two rounds. They are 4-0 on the road in the playoffs so far, winning Games 3 and 4 on the road in both Miami and Cleveland. The Pacers, on the other hand are 6-0 at home in the playoffs so far. They have also won 11 straight home games going back to March 18. The Celtics are going to need to come in focused and ready to play hard in order to get a win on the Pacers home court.

Game 3 in any series is important. Teams that win the first two games of a best-of-seven series at home go on to win the series 94.0% of the time. Teams that lead a best-of-seven series 2-1 go on to win the series 79.8% of the time. However, teams that win the first three games of a best-of-seven series go on to win the series 100% of the time. No team has ever come back from being down 0-3 and so if the Celtics can win Game 3, they can pretty much guarantee themselves a trip to the Finals.

This is the Celtics 6th appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in 8 years. It is also their 3rd straight Eastern Conference Finals appearance. The Pacers have not been in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2014 when they lost in 6 games to the Heat. The Pacers last appearance in the playoffs was in 2018-19 when they were swept by the Celtics in the first round. The Celtics won 4 of the 6 series between these two teams so far and all of them were in the first round.

Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out for this game. He is still dealing with a calf injury that he suffered in Game 4 of Boston’s first-round series against the Heat. The Celtics are being cautious with him but are hoping to get him back for Game 4 of this series. However, he hasn’t practiced with the team as yet so it’s only rumor as of now. He did travel with the team to Indiana, however. Jrue Holiday was a late addition to the injury list as questionable with a non-covid illness. I’m not sure who Mazzulla would start if Jrue can’t go but it may be Payton Pritchard or maybe Oshae Brissett.

Luke Kornet suffered a sprained left wrist in the first quarter of Thursday’s game and is doubtful for this game. With Porzingis out and trying to keep Horford’s minutes low, this leaves the Celtics short handed at center. When Kornet went out in Game 2, Joe Mazzulla chose to go small and brought in Oshae Brissett for his first meaningful playoff minutes. By going small, the Celtics rotated quicker and were able to keep pace better with the Pacers. The Celtics may go small again or may give Xavier Tillman some time at center as well.

For the Pacers, Benedict Mathurin remains out after undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum. With just under three minutes left in the third quarter of Game 2 on Thursday, Tyrese Haliburton left the game and limped to the locker room. He was ruled out for the rest of the game with a hamstring injury. He injured the same hamstring on 1/8 and missed 10 of the next 11 games. Indiana went 6-4 without him. He is listed as questionable for this game. I’m going to guess that they will keep him out of this game and that TJ McConnell with get the start in his place.

Probable Celtics Starters

Celtics Reserves
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Jordan Walsh
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman
Neemias Queta

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson

Injuries/Out
Kristaps Porzingis (calf) out
Luke Kornet (wrist) doubtful
Jrue Holiday (illness) questionable

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Pacers Starters

(As of now, Haliburton is questionable with a sore hamstring. Since this is a recurring injury I’m guessing that he will be out. But, as of now, he is just questionable and McConnell starting is just a guess.)

Pacers Reserves
Isaiah Jackson
Quenton Jackson
James Johnson
Doug McDermott
Ben Sheppard
Jalen Smith
Obi Toppin
Jarace Walker

Two Way Players
Kendall Brown
Oscar Tshiebwe
Isaiah Wong

Injuries/Out
Benedict Mathurin (shoulder) out
Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) questionable

Head Coach
Rick Carlisle

Key Matchups

Jayson Tatum vs Pascal Siakam
Siakam finished Game 1 with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal while shooting 52.2% from the field and was 0-2 from beyond the arc. He finished Game 2 with 28 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 76.5% from the field and was 2-2 on three pointers. Tatum has struggled early in both games so far but thankfully his teammates were able to come up big until he was able to contribute later in the game. The Celtics need more from him on both ends of the court throughout the game in this one.

Al Horford vs Myles Turner
Turner finished Game 1 with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks while shooting 69.2% from the field and 75% from beyond the arc. He struggled somewhat in Game 2 with 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal while shooting 42.9% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. The Celtics have to be aware of his presence in the paint as he is a good rim protector and also a good rebounder. They also have to stay with him on the perimeter as he has been shooting very well from beyond the arc. With the Celtics trying to limit Horford’s minutes and Kornet likely to be out, we may see some Xavier Tillman at center or we may see more small ball with Brissett getting more minutes.

Honorable Mention
Derrick White vs Andrew Nembhard
Ordinarily, this would be the Holiday/Haliburton matchup, but with Haliburton out, or not 100%, this would be a key with Nembhard looking to pick up his game to make up for Haliburton being injured. In Game 1, Nembhard finished with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists while shooting 50% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. In Game 2, he finished with 16 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 50% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. In Game 2, White came alive offensively, after struggling for a couple of games. He finished with 23 points, including 4 threes. The Celtics need more of that from him in this game.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is the key to winning every single game and especially against the Pacers as they lead the playoffs with 121.0 offensive rating. The Celtics are 2nd in the playoffs with a 120.1 offensive rating. The Celtics are 3rd in the playoffs with a defensive rating of 108.1. The Pacers are 13th with a defensive rating of 119.1. The Celtics need to make defense their identity and their priority. In Game 1, the Pacers shot 53.3% from the field and 37.1% from beyond the arc. In Game 2, the Pacers shot 52.4% from the field and 37.9% from beyond the arc. The Celtics have to step up their defense in this series as they likely won’t win a shoot out against the high scoring Pacers. The Celtics must defend them both in the paint and on the perimeter. Defense down the stretch helped to pull out Game 1 and defense allowed the Celtics to pull away in Game 2. Defense will determine the winner of this series. The Celtics need to play lock down defense for 48 minutes and not just in spurts.

Rebound - The Celtics are 3rd in the playoffs, pulling down 44.3 rebounds per game. The Pacers are12th with 40.9 rebounds per game. In Game 1, the Pacers out-rebounded the Celtics 44-43, and the Celtics almost lost the game. In Game 2, the Celtics out-rebounded the Pacers 40-37. Much of rebounding is desire and effort and the Celtics have got to put out more effort on the boards than the Pacers if they want to get a win in this game. Other than Game 1, the Celtics have won every game in the playoffs that they have out rebounded their opponent and they have lost the 2 games where they were out-rebounded. As with defense, rebounding will be key to winning this game

Bench Play - The Celtics need to get help from their reserves. The Celtics bench loses a lot with Al Horford moving into the starting lineup and will take another hit with Luke Kornet’s injury. In their first 2 rounds, the Pacers reserves averaged 32 points or more per game. TJ McConnell, who is a problem off the bench as he is a pesky defender and brings a lot of energy to the Pacers may need to start with Haliburton questionable for this game. In Game 1, the Pacers got 30 points off their bench while the Celtics got just 13 points from theirs. In game 2, the Celtics got 19 points from their reserves while the Pacers got 39 points from their reserves. The Celtics need for their reserves to score and to defend well to take some of the pressure off the starters.

Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes - The Celtics have to play every minute with extra effort. The Pacers play hard and fast and so the Celtics need to match that effort and play even harder. The team that plays harder and is more aggressive is usually the team that comes out on top and that also gets the better whistle. The Celtics also have to stay focused. They have to focus on taking good shots and making them and on playing as a team and making the right play every time. They also have to keep that effort and focus up for 48 minutes with no let up and no collapse, especially on defense.

Move the Ball - The Celtics are tough to beat when they keep the ball moving and they make the extra pass to find the best shot. They struggle when they lapse into iso ball and when players hold the ball too long. The Pacers move the ball very well and are 1st in the playoffs, averaging 30.1 assists per game. They racked up 38 assists on 53 field goals in Game 1. In Game 2, they had just 23 assists while the Celtics had 28 assists. The Celtics have to keep the ball moving and avoid lapsing into iso ball and over dribbling the ball.

X-Factors
On The Road - The Celtics are on the road for the first time in this series. The Pacers are 6-0 at home in the playoffs so far and the Celtics are 4-0 on the road. During the regular season, the Celtics were 27-14 on the road while the Pacers were 26-15 at home. The Celtics can’t allow the distractions of travel and a hostile crowd to take away from their focus on the game.

Injuries - Injuries may come into play in this series with Porzingis remaining out and now Luke Kornet being doubtful. That will make the Celtics short handed at center and so it will be next man up, whether Xavier Tillman gets minutes at center or possibly we will see more of Oshae Brissett in this one again. For the Pacers, if Tyrese Haliburton is out with the hamstring injury, it will affect the Pacers offense. However, it may help their defense somewhat since the Celtics were constantly targeting Haliburton’s defense in Game 2.

Officiating -Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game a little differently with some calling it tight and others letting them play. They seem to be letting them play more in these playoffs so far, but that could change with any given crew and any given game. In Game 1, the Celtics shot 30 free throws to just 10 for the Pacers. In Game 2, the Celtics took 20 free throws to 16 for the Pacers. The Celtics have to adjust to how the game is being called and focus on the game and not on the officials.

Official Report
Crew Chief - Marc Davis - Davis has a home win/loss record of 41-34 this season. He calls 51% of fouls on the road team and 49% on the home team. Boston is 7-3 in their last 10 games with Davis as the crew chief, including the May 1 win over Miami in the first round and May 13 win over Cleveland in Game 5. Indiana is 6-4 in their last 10 with Davis, including Game 2 loss and the Game 7 win in New York. Davis was voted the third worst referee in the league in a poll of the players, behind Scott Foster and Tony Brothers. Comments from players say he is arrogant and will sometime instigate things. He wasn’t bad in Game 5 against the Heat or Game 4 against the Cavs.

Referee - John Goble - Goble has a home win/loss record of 22-13. He calls 43% of fouls against the road team and 57% on the home team. The Celtics are 7-3 in their last 10 games with Goble including the Game 2 loss to the Cavs and the game 4 win over Miami. The Pacers are 8-2 in their last 10 games with Goble including Game 2 win over the Bucks and Game 4 win over the Knicks. Goble also called one win and one loss against Indiana in the regular season.

Umpire - Courtney Kirkland - Kirkland has a home win/loss record of 30-33 this season. In the playoffs, he calls 47% of fouls on the road team and 53% on the home team. The Celtics are 8-2 in their last 10 games with Kirkland on the crew, including Game 4 at Miami in Round 1 and Game 4 against Cleveland. Indiana is 4-6 in their last 10 with Kirkland, including Game 6 win over the Bucks. 2 years ago during the ECF between Boston and Miami, Kirkland was the replay official in Secaucus who said Max Strus was out of bounds on a key 3 in Game 7. He was not bad in the previous games in these playoffs.

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The Celtics host Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals as they welcome the high scoring Indiana Pacers.

In a matchup between the top two offenses in the league, the Boston Celtics host the Indiana Pacers for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. This is the 7th time in NBA history that the Celtics and Pacers will meet. The Celtics won 4 of the 6 series so far and all of them were in the first round. Their latest meeting was a sweep by Boston in the 1st round of the 2018-19 playoffs.

This is the Celtics 6th appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in 8 years. It is also their 3rd straight Eastern Conference Finals appearance. The Pacers have not been in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2014 when they lost in 6 games to the Heat. The Pacers last appearance in the playoffs was in 2018-19 when they were swept by the the Celtics in the first round.

These two teams met 5 times in the regular season due to an extra game for the In Season Tournament. The Celtics won the series 3-2 in the regular season. The Pacers, Bucks, Nuggets and Hawks were the only teams to beat the Celtics twice this season. None of the games pitted both teams at full strength. 11/1, the Pacers were without Haliburton. 12/4, the Celtics were without Porzingis. 1/6, the Pacers were without Nembhard. 1/8, the Celtics were without Hauser and Tatum. 1/30, The Celtics were without Horford and Kornet and the Pacers were without Mathurin and McConnell. Both teams are missing just one player going into this series.

There is a wide gap in playoff experience between these two teams. The Celtics starters have 528 playoff games under their belts and the Celtics overall have 597 playoff games to their credit. No Pacer has gotten to the ECF as a Pacer. Jalen Smith made it with Phoenix in 2021, Aaron Nesmith made it with Boston in 2022, and Pascal Siakam made it with the Raptors in 2019 when they won the Championship. However, the Pacers overcame their lack of experience to win in the first 2 rounds and so the Celtics can’t take them for granted.

Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out for this game. He is still dealing with a calf injury that he suffered in Game 4 of Boston’s first-round series against the Heat. He has been at the Celtics’ practices, putting up shots. He is also walking normally without a limp, but the Celtics are going to be very cautious with him. However, the Celtics are hopinig to get him back at some time during this series. For the Pacers, only Benedict Mathurin is out after undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum.

Probable Celtics Starters

Celtics Reserves
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Jordan Walsh
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman
Neemias Queta
Luke Kornet

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson

Injuries/Out
Kristaps Porzingis (calf) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Pacers Starters

Pacers Reserves
Isaiah Jackson
Quenton Jackson
James Johnson
TJ McConnell
Doug McDermott
Ben Sheppard
Jalen Smith
Obi Toppin
Jarace Walker

Two Way Players
Kendall Brown
Oscar Tshiebwe
Isaiah Wong

Injuries/Out
Benedict Mathurin (shoulder) out

Head Coach
Rick Carlisle

Key Matchups

Jrue Holiday vs Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton is averaging 18.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in the playoffs. He is shooting 49.2% from the field and 36.4% from beyond the arc. In 4 games against Boston this season, he averaged 15.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 41.1% from the field and 32.1% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to play tough defense on him in this game to limit him once again. The Celtics need to defend him well and make him uncomfortable on offense while also making him defend.

Jayson Tatum vs Pascal Siakam
Siakam is averaging 21.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game in the playoffs. He is shooting 53.7% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc. In his games against the Celtics this season (on the Raptors and Pacers) Siakam averaged 21.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 50% from the field and 17.6% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to try to limit his looks and also make him defend.

Honorable Mention
Al Horford vs Myles Turner
Turner is averaging 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 blocks per game in the playoffs. He is shooting 50.9% from the field and 45.7% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics this season, he averaged 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 42.9% from the field and 20.8% from beyond the arc. The Celtics have to be aware of his presence in the paint as he is a good rim protector and a good rebounder. They also have to stay with him on the perimeter as he has been shooting very well from beyond the arc.

Player to Watch
Aaron Nesmith
Nesmith was drafted by the Celtics and played his first two seasons there before being sent to Indiana in the trade for Malcolm Brogdon. Since going to Indiana, he has blossomed and has started every playoff game for them so far. He is averaging 10.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game in the playoffs while shooting 43% from the field and 30.2% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics this season, he averaged 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 50.8% from the field and 32.1% from beyond the arc. He seems to take games against the Celtics personally and plays harder against his former team. He is also the Pacers’ go to defender and will likely be defending whichever Celtic is playing the best in any given game.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is the key to winning every single game and especially against the Pacers as they lead the playoffs with 120.1 offensive rating. The Celtics are 2nd in the playoffs with a 118.9 offensive rating. The Celtics are 3rd in the playoffs with a defensive rating of 106.1. The Pacers are 13th with a defensive rating of 118.1. The Celtics need to continue to make defense their identity and their priority. The Celtics have to step up their defense in this series as they likely won’t win a shoot out against the high scoring Pacers. The Celtics must defend them both in the paint and on the perimeter. They are 1st in the playoffs in 3 point percentage (38.1) and they are 2nd in points in the paint (51.2). The Pacers shot a record 67.1% in Game 7 against the Knicks. Defense will determine the winner of this series.

Rebound - The Celtics are 3rd in the playoffs, pulling down 44.9 rebounds per game. The Pacers are12th with 40.9 rebounds per game. It is important for the Celtics to rebound the ball to give themselves extra possessions and to prevent the Pacers from getting the same along with 2nd chance points. Much of rebounding is desire and effort and the Celtics have got to put out more effort on the boards than the Pacers if they want to get a win in this game. The Celtics have won every game in the playoffs that they have out rebounded their opponent and they have lost the 2 games where they were out-rebounded. As with defense, rebounding will be key to winning this game.

Bench Play - The Celtics need to get help from their reserves. The Celtics bench loses a lot with Al Horford moving into the starting lineup and the Celtics have been depending on just 3 players to contribute off the bench. The Pacers are a deep team and they have 7 players that average 10 or more points. In their first 2 rounds, they averaged 32 points or more off their bench. TJ McConnell will especially be a problem for the Celtics as he is a pesky defender and brings a lot of energy to the Pacers when he enters the game. The Celtics need for their reserves to score and to defend well to take some of the pressure off the starters.

Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes - The Celtics have to play every minute with extra effort. The Pacers play hard and fast and so the Celtics need to match that effort and play even harder. The team that plays harder and is more aggressive is usually the team that comes out on top and that also gets the better whistle. The Celtics also have to stay focused. They have to focus on taking good shots and making them and on playing as a team and making the right play every time. They also have to keep that effort and focus up for 48 minutes with no let up and no collapse, especially on defense.

X-Factors
Home vs Road - The Celtics worked hard in the regular season to get home court for the playoffs. They lost only 4 games at home in the regular season. However, they have struggled at home for some reason in the playoffs, They are just 15-14 at home in the last 3 post seasons. The only games they have lost in these playoffs were at home. The Celtics need to protect home court and use the crowd support for motivation. The Pacers have to deal with travel and staying in hotels and playing on an unfamiliar court and in front of hostile fans. The Celtics need to use home court to their advantage and fight hard for a win.

Rest vs Rust - The Celtics have been off for almost a week, since closing out the Cavaliers in 5 games last Wednesday. The Pacers closed out their series against the Knicks on Sunday and so had just 1 day off. The Pacers didn’t clinch their playoff berth until the final game of the season. The Celtics rested their starters down the stretch as they had the top seed all wrapped up. The Celtics are rested coming into this game while the Pacers have gotten no rest but they do have momentum coming off a Game 7 win on Sunday. Will the Celtics rest give them an advantage or will they come out rusty.

Officiating -Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game a little differently with some calling it tight and others letting them play. They seem to be letting them play more in these playoffs so far, but that could change with any given crew and any given game. The Celtics have to adjust to how the game is being called and focus on the game and not on the officials.

Official Report
Crew Chief - Tony Brothers - If there is one referee that strikes fear into every fan base when they see his name, it is Tony Brothers. He was recently voted the 2nd worst referee in the league by a poll of NBA players. Only Scott Foster was voted worse. Brothers has a home win/loss record of 41-31. The Celtics are 7-3 in their last 10 games with Brothers, including Game 5 against the Cavaliers. The Pacers are 9-1 in their last 10 with Brothers, including the Game 4 win over New York and the Game 2 and Game 6 wins ove4r Milwaukee. He calls 49% of fouls against the road team and 51% against the home team. He can be good and he can be very bad depending on the game, but mostly, he is bad. Like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.

Referee - David Guthrie - Guthrie has a home win/loss record of 25-37. The Celtics are 7-3 in their last 10 games with Guthrie as a ref, including the Game 2 loss to Miami in the first round and Game 5 win over the Cavs. The Pacers are 6-4 in their last 10 games with Guthrie, including A Game 6 win over New York and a Game 3 OT win over Milwaukee. He calls 51% of fouls against the road team and 49% against the home team. In last year’s Finals, Guthrie was seen encouraging Michael Malone to challenge a call against the Nuggets which has caused some controversy.

Umpire - Tyler Ford - Ford has a home win/loss record of 39-33 this season. He calls 49% of fouls against the road team and 51% against the home team in the playoffs. The Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 games with Ford on the crew, including Game 4 against the Cavs. He also called the 11/1 win over the Pacers and the 12/21 loss to the Pacers. The Pacers are 5-5 in their last 10 games with Ford.. This is his first playoff game with the Pacers. He calls 49% of fouls against the road team and 51% of calls against the home team.

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