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
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Jrue Holiday
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
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Tyrese Haliburton
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
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.
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Jayson Tatum
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
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Pascal Siakam
Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images
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.
