It’s official. The Boston Celtics will be taking on the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Indiana put a beatdown on the New York Knicks (RIP, bozos) in Sunday’s Game 7 to earn the chance to battle Boston for a trip to the NBA Finals.
With nothing to do but wait for Game 1’s tip-off tonight, I figured I’d get fans who may not have had the chance to watch much of the Pacers up to this point caught up to speed on what’s been going on in Indiana.
I for one have quite enjoyed watching the Pacers eliminate teams I don’t like. Seeing them take out the Milwaukee Bucks (bonus RIP, bozos) and then the Knicks has to be what it feels like when a mob boss sees their henchmen “whack” someone.
They’ve been able to get themselves to this point by riding their high-powered offense, which is spearheaded by Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. Everyone knows about those guys, but what about the others?
Who are the guys that are going to send your blood pressure through the roof over the next two weeks?
I’ve got you covered. Let’s take a look.
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Myles Turner
Myles Turner is a name that most fans should be familiar with. The big man has been a staple of the Pacers’ squad since being drafted by them back in 2015. In fact, he’s the lone remaining piece of the 2019 team that was the last to face Boston in the postseason.
Turner was actually almost a Celtic back in 2020. When Gordon Hayward’s contract expired and he hit free agency, there were discussions between Indiana and Boston that would’ve seen Turner swapped with Hayward. Ultimately, Danny Ainge pressed the Pacers for too steep of a price and Hayward wound up with the Charlotte Hornets.
The big man has consistently seen his name featured in trade rumors, but the Pacers are surely thankful that he’s still with them. Throughout Indy’s playoff run, Turner has been fantastic.
He’s been their third-leading scorer at 17.5 points per game. However, the real key has been his ability to stretch the floor. It’s no secret that Turner can sink threes, but he’s been doing so at an unreal clip. His 45.7% three-point percentage is over 10% higher than his career mark of 35.4%.
To me, there are very few things more infuriating than watching a guy shoot well above his average against the Celtics. That, paired with the whole “could’ve had him” angle to this, will have fans punching air at some point here.
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Aaron Nesmith
Another guy who Cs fans have plenty of experience with is Aaron Nesmith. The former Celtics lottery pick has found himself a nice home in Indiana, after being dealt away as part of the Malcolm Brogdon trade in 2022.
He’s a prime example of the “love him he’s on your team, but hate him if he’s on the other bench” type of player. Nesmith is one of the premier hustle guys in the NBA. There’s a reason why his nickname is “Crash.” His chaotic-hustle playstyle is something that will surely frustrate Celtics fans, especially considering the risks that come along with it.
All it’s going to take is one of these “no regard for human life” hustle plays to get Boston’s fanbase doing the “Arthur” fist meme.
Nesmith is also a defense-first guy. Indiana used him to try and slow down Knicks star and MVP candidate Jalen Brunson in the second round. It’ll be no surprise when he’s tasked with defending Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown in the conference finals. When that inevitably happens, there will surely be tons of clamoring for extra foul calls from the spectators.
The former Celtic hasn’t been overly impressive on offense so far, but did have a perfect 8-8 performance in Game 7 Sunday. If he pops off for an offensive explosion, it’ll be a frustrating watch for sure.
Heading into the series, it feels like Nesmith is a pretty polarizing figure amongst Celtics fans. There’s certainly a contingent of them who are already privy to the dangers of his chaotic hustle, but it’s not everyone. I personally have been happy to see him play well against the Knicks and Bucks (again, RIP, bozos).
Make no mistake, I will not be happy to see him play well against the Cs.
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T.J. McConnell
You knew he’d be on this list. T.J. McConnell, much like Nesmith, is a prime “hate him when he’s against your team” guy.
Again, I’ve gotten plenty of joy while watching the Pacers take out the trash this spring and McConnell has been a huge player in their garbage disposal. He comes in off the bench and raises hell.
If you’re not familiar with McConnell, you will be in two weeks. He plays with a tremendous amount of grit, serving as a pest to the opposition’s best guards.
The six-foot-one guard has provided Indy with a solid scoring punch this spring. In 13 postseason appearances, he’s averaged 10.8 points and 5.3 assists per game.
McConnell actually played a key role in one of the Pacers’ two wins over the Cs this season. Back in January, he stepped up after Haliburton injured his hamstring to lead Indy to a comeback win at home.
This Eastern Conference Finals won’t be his first playoff run-in with the Cs. He was part of the 2018 Philadelphia 76ers team that Boston bounced in five games. Though the series didn’t go very long, McConnell still managed to change the energy in a potential-closeout Game 4.
He filled the stat sheet with 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assists to help the Sixers live to fight another day.
McConnell’s irritating playstyle will certainly rub Celtics fans the wrong way in this series.
Though this series feels like it should be a coronation of the Celtics as the East’s best, these guys will certainly work as hard as they can to make it a bumpy ride to the NBA Finals.
