Taking a closer look at the upcoming first-round playoff series between the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers
Playoff time folks! After an eventful (to say the least) final week of the season, it’s finally time for some playoff basketball. Let’s dive into the 4-5 matchup in the east, shall we?
Boston Celtics: 49-33
Indiana Pacers: 48-34
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Season Series: Boston Leads 3-1
Celtics Keys to Winning
Boston got some brutal news this past week, starting guard Marcus Smart will be out for at least one series with a torn left oblique. Luckily for them, the Pacers biggest offensive threat, Victor Oladipo was sidelined back in January with a knee injury, so the defensive load will be lightened a bit.
Brad Stevens has his hands full figuring out new lineups without Smart, but he also has to game plan around the league leader in blocks, Myles Turner (2.6 BPG), who awaits his men in the paint. If Al Horford can draw Turner out to the perimeter with his beautiful pick and fade ability, that will create some more open driving lanes for Boston’s guards.
The Celtics should see either Gordon Hayward or Jaylen Brown step up in place of Smart and if they can keep the offense rolling, Indiana should have a hard time keeping up with them.
Pacers Keys to Winning
Without Oladipo, the Pacers have had to run their offense through Bojan Bogdanovic, and it’s worked! In his last 10 games the Croatian Sensation is averaging 19.8 points per game on 50 percent from the field, 50 PERCENT!
Anyways, the keys for Indiana will be looking to slow the game down, Boston has a high-octane offense that can get hot in a hurry, which Indiana can not keep up with. Domantas Sabonis will have to shoulder the load on the second unit and one of Indiana’s guards is going to have to step up to defend against premier offensive threat Kyrie Irving.
If Indiana can gunk up the game a bit, keep running the half-court offense through Bogdanovic, and keep consistent on defense, this series could look different than most people think.