First, however, a meeting with the sixth seed out of the East, Indiana Pacers.
Much like after the first round, the Celtics earned some rest while their opponent slugged things out in a seven-game series. Boston, with the Cavs limping (albeit with a valiant fight) at the end, advanced with a 4-1 series victory. It was another series where the Celtics looked invincible at times and lacking in others but performed well enough to play just above the minimum a series required.
The Pacers, meanwhile, have played nearly the maximum number of games through two rounds. Indiana used six games to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks (with no Giannis Antetokounmpo). This before they used a scorching shooting performance to defeat the New York Mash unit, aka Knicks, in seven games.
Indiana will be making their first appearance in the conference finals since 2014, where they lost 4-2 to the Miami Heat.
The Celtics and Pacers met up five times in the regular season, with Boston taking three of five. Boston delivered a thrashing to start the matchups, with a 155-104 victory. Games have been more competitive since and the teams last met on January 30.
Breezy Boston Celtics
One of the intriguing items discussed about these Boston Celtics is a relative breezy approach in the first two rounds, where the team flipped a switch between on and off, especially on defense. A dagger of scoring runs helped this team out, dropping points by the bucketful when needed and honestly, I think the defense has been above average.
The Heat and Cavaliers each had almost franchise defining shooting nights in their victories in each round. Yes, the Celtics could have been better but so far, they have done enough and it's not hard to imagine defense settling into higher intensity in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Possible even without Kristaps Porzingis, who while working his way back, may still not be available for games one and two.
In 10 playoff games this season, Boston has held opponents to under 100 points in all but three games. Two of those three resulted in losses. The Celtics are scoring 108.1 points per game this postseason, shooting 48 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from three-point range.
Boston dishes out 22.7 assists and commits 10.1 turnovers while collecting 44.9 rebounds per game.
After a somewhat "lackluster" first round, Jayson Tatum found his way in the conference semis against the Cavs. Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists against Cleveland, capping the series off with a near triple-double (25/10/9) in Game 5.
This improvement vaulted him to the team-lead in playoff scoring, at 24.3 points per game. Tatum is averaging 10.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists, plus one steal per contest. Struggles from deep continue (28.1 percent) for Tatum, hitting on 43 percent of field goal attempts overall.
Jaylen Brown hasn't quite had the same problem from the field, connecting on 55.4 percent. Three-point attempts are also better (36.7) and Brown has been the most consistent scorer in both rounds, averaging 23.1 points per game and scoring 20+ points in six of Boston's 10 games.
There is some turnover concern with Brown, who committed eight in the last two games. And free throw shooting was slightly better against Cleveland, but Brown is only connecting on 61.4 percent in the playoffs this season.
Derrick White is bringing a high-caliber effort on defense though he did cool off on offense against Cleveland. White started (25 points, seven 3's in Game 1) and finished (18 points, 5 rebounds, six assists, two blocks in Game 5) the series strong but had his struggles in between. And after averaging only 7.8 points against the Heat, Jrue Holiday came alive against the Cavs. In the final three games of the series, Holiday scored 47 points on 18-30 shooting (8-16 on three-point attempts) while collecting 18 rebounds and dishing out 14 assists.
It was also nice to see vintage Al Horford in the Game 5 clincher. Horford has been steady in this year's playoffs, averaging 8.8 points and 7.3 rebounds. But against Cleveland, in the first four games, Horford was a combined 4-22 from the field.
Then in Game 5 fans were treated to a Horford performance he likes to put on every tenth game or so. One where his leadership and energy, always on point, ignite the Celtics and backed up by box score totals. Horford filled one up that game, finishing with 22 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocked shots, and one steal.
The Boston bench had their moments throughout the series, too. Payton Pritchard found his mark again, connecting on 50 percent from three-point range. Sam Hauser is playing well and Luke Kornet provided solid, successful minutes against the Cavs, including a Game 1 effort of four points and 10 rebounds. Kornet has also been disruptive on the defensive end as well, giving the Celtics extra length in the absence of Porzingis.
Defense from whoever on the floor will be needed this round, especially with a Pacers team capable of lighting up a scoreboard in a hurry.
Indiana Pacers playoff push
An offense that doesn't stop and a deep bench have propelled the Indiana Pacers, especially during the playoffs. Efficiency was on full display in Game 7 against the Knicks, where Indiana shot near 80 percent for most of the first half.
Yes, the Knicks were shorthanded to start and even more so to end the game, but the Pacers took care of business. They are a team that plays fast, can shoot and dish the rock, and is good at avoiding turnovers.
Tyrese Haliburton is the embodiment of all three.
Haliburton is fresh off a series where he knocked down 29 three-pointers. He bounced back nicely from a six-point Game 1 performance and is averaging 18.8 points, 5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists in this postseason.
Haliburton has performed well but it is Pascal Siakim who is Indiana's leading playoff scorer. Siakim averages 21.1 points and 7.5 rebounds and started the playoffs with a bang, scoring 73 points 31-48 shooting in the first two games against the Bucks.
The starting lineup is rounded out with Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith. Turner is similar to Porzingis in his ability to stretch the floor, shooting 45.7 percent on three-point attempts this postseason. Turner averages 17.5 points and 6.5 rebound and his production dipped slightly in the New York Series.
Nembhard is averaging 13 points and 4.8 assists and is shooting well. He had 20 points against the Knicks in Game 7 but committed four turnovers. Nesmith is also scores in double figures with 10.5 points per game and is one of the top defenders on the Pacers. Nesmith, the former Celtic, averaged 14.8 points against Boston this season, including a 26-point, 12-rebound, 7-assist effort in the game on January 30.
Indiana's top five scorers, among them Obi Toppin (11 ppg) off the bench, are all shooting over 50 percent from the field. Toppin, TJ McConnell, Ben Sheppard, and Isaiah Jackson combine to score about 32 points and play valuable minutes for the Pacers.
The Pacers have carried a league-best offense into the playoffs, where they are 6-0 at home. Indiana is averaging 114.2 points per game, shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from deep. Three times the Pacers have been held under 100 in this postseason, all losses.
Prediction
Chances are good fans will be treated to a high scoring affair on more than one occasion in this series, like the 133-131 victory by Pacers in a meeting earlier this season. Across the roster, these teams are evenly matched and, no matter the makeup of the team, Indiana has given Boston fits in recent seasons.
Ball control and defense will be Boston's keys to advancing to the NBA Finals. Offense with this team usually takes care of itself, with any spot in the rotation capable of putting up 20 points any given day. Defense, especially if Porzingis makes it back, will be the deciding factor for the Celtics. The Pacers ranked near the bottom of the league in many defensive categories and, ultimately, do not have enough to stop the star power of Tatum, Brown, and the excellent players who know their roles and play them well. Celtics in six
Game 1 tips-off on Tuesday May 21 @ 8 p.m. (ET) in Boston.
photo credit: rawpixel
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