Celtics Host Pacers To Kick Off Eastern Conference Finals
By Dan Bruno
The Boston Celtics play host to the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on Tuesday evening.
The Celtics won the season series 3-2 against the Pacers, beginning with a dominant, 155-104, win in their first meeting. The Pacers won two of the next three meetings, while the Celtics picked up the win in their final meeting, on January 30.
The Celtics will have five full days of rest entering Game 1 against the Pacers. They managed to get through their first two rounds of playoff competition in a matter of 10 games, winning each series 4-1. Jayson Tatum leads the squad with an average of 24.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.0 steals through the postseason. Jaylen Brown is averaging 23.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.7 steals, while Derrick White is averaging 18.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 0.9 blocks per game. Al Horford, Jrue Holiday and Payton Pritchard have also been strong contributors. Kristaps Porzingis (calf) played in the first four games of the first round but has been sidelined since then and will remain out for Game 1.
On the other side, the Pacers are coming off a hard-fought series win versus the Knicks, where they battled back from and 0-2 deficit, won Game 6 to avoid elimination at home, before outlasting the Knicks in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Tyrese Haliburton came up huge with 26 points, four rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block in the win, while Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard followed up with 20 points each. The Pacers also rely on their depth, as Myles Turner, Obi Toppin, T.J. McConnell, Aaron Nesmith and Ben Sheppard each contributed an average of at least 15 minutes per game, while appearing in all 13 playoff games.
The Celtics won the season series 3-2 against the Pacers, beginning with a dominant, 155-104, win in their first meeting. The Pacers won two of the next three meetings, while the Celtics picked up the win in their final meeting, on January 30.
The Celtics will have five full days of rest entering Game 1 against the Pacers. They managed to get through their first two rounds of playoff competition in a matter of 10 games, winning each series 4-1. Jayson Tatum leads the squad with an average of 24.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.0 steals through the postseason. Jaylen Brown is averaging 23.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.7 steals, while Derrick White is averaging 18.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 0.9 blocks per game. Al Horford, Jrue Holiday and Payton Pritchard have also been strong contributors. Kristaps Porzingis (calf) played in the first four games of the first round but has been sidelined since then and will remain out for Game 1.
On the other side, the Pacers are coming off a hard-fought series win versus the Knicks, where they battled back from and 0-2 deficit, won Game 6 to avoid elimination at home, before outlasting the Knicks in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Tyrese Haliburton came up huge with 26 points, four rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block in the win, while Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard followed up with 20 points each. The Pacers also rely on their depth, as Myles Turner, Obi Toppin, T.J. McConnell, Aaron Nesmith and Ben Sheppard each contributed an average of at least 15 minutes per game, while appearing in all 13 playoff games.