Two home defeats and spankings. We can almost say that the Celtics arrived in the conference finals with one hand behind their back. Faced with a Heat deprived of Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier in the first round, then the Cavaliers who had to do without Donovan Mitchell for the end of the conference semi-final, Joe Mazzulla's men did not really have to force their talent so far, applying the regular season recipe.
For their part, the Pacers experienced a much more complicated journey. They too took advantage of opposing injuries, including that of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first round, to eliminate the Bucks then the Knicks. But they had to win Game 7 at Madison Square Garden to reach the conference finals…
PRESENTATION OF THE CELTICS
The holders : Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford
The replacements : Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, Luke Kornet, Oshae Brissett, Jaden Springer, Xavier Tillman, Svi Mykhailiuk
The absents : Kristaps Porzingis
The coach :Joe Mazzulla
Kristaps Porzingis will not play Game 1, and probably not Game 2 either, against the Pacers. For the rest, it's more vague and the Celtics undoubtedly hope to find him again during the series, not only to offer themselves more options, both in attack and in defense, but also because if they have to continue their road to the Finals, they will need their Latvian unicorn to regain rhythm and automatisms with his teammates.
THE STRONG POINTS
– A steamroller that is difficult to brake. We've been repeating ourselves since the start of the playoffs, but the great strength of these Celtics is their ability to crush their opponents, with sequences of defensive domination that generate fast play, and a 3-point skill that offers so many uppercuts that are difficult to cash in on a placed game. The result is that Jayson Tatum and his gang can demoralize the opponent, with an average difference of 18.5 points during their eight successes during this playoff campaign…
– Multiple defenders on Tyrese Haliburton. Controlling the Pacers' offense means firstly controlling Tyrese Haliburton, preventing him from creating the first mismatch or sucking up the defense behind the 3-point line. The Knicks had done quite well, before being too weighed down by injuries, and the problem for Indiana is that the Celtics have a lot of players (Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum even Payton Pritchard) capable of harassing his conductor, but also of targeting him from the other side of the field.
THE WEAK SPOTS
– Not tested enough? Arriving in the conference final having dominated the first two playoff series, it allows us to approach this duel with certainty, confidence and fresh legs. But have the Celtics been tested enough? In ten playoff games, they thus only experienced 79 seconds of “clutch time”, when the score difference was less than five points in the last five minutes. Given that managing the end of games was a real issue for Jayson Tatum and his teammates during the regular season, could this lack of guidance in decisive moments pose a problem if the Pacers manage to stay in games until the end? end ?
– A lack of variety without Kristaps Porzingis? Again, it didn't really show against the Cavaliers, but in the absence of Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics can return to isolation sequences behind the 3-point line, which are predictable. And when the address is not there, it can become dangerous.
PRESENTATION OF THE PACERS
The holdersThe starters: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
The replacements: TJ McConnell, Ben Sheppard, Obi Toppin, Jalen Smith, Doug McDermott
The absents : Bennedict Mathurin
The coach: Rick Carlisle
Even though they had reached the final of the In-Season Tournament and the arrival of Pascal Siakam brought valuable experience and solutions to the team, it seemed difficult to imagine Tyrese Haliburton's Pacers reaching the conference final this season. But the recklessness of this group, and the fact that it was spared injuries, unlike many other teams in the East, made it possible.
Will Rick Carlisle return to the Finals, thirteen years after the 2011 title obtained at the head of the Mavericks? It still seems difficult to imagine but with these Pacers, we may not be at the end of our surprises…
THE STRONG POINTS
– Multiple offensive threats. As they showed during the first half of Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, the Pacers have plenty of ammunition in attack, whether it is Tyrese Haliburton's outside shots but also Pascal Siakam's aggressiveness, the catch -and-shoot from Myles Turner and the energy of the bench, with TJ McConnell, Obi Toppin, Ben Sheppard and Isaiah Jackson keeping the tempo of the starters.
– Few ball losses. Of all the teams still in the running, the Pacers are the ones who “assist” the most baskets (67.6%) while being the ones who lose the fewest balls (11.6%). Tyrese Haliburton and his teammates therefore move the leather as much as possible to attack opposing defenses from almost everywhere, but above all they have the ability to avoid being intercepted. Faced with Boston's aggressive defense, it will have to continue if the Pacers don't want to leave too much ammunition for Jaylen Brown and company…
THE WEAK SPOTS
– Few bounces. This is because the Pacers already risk leaving a lot of additional ammunition for the Celtics in the rebound fight. Against the Knicks, Indiana suffered against Isaiah Hartenstein, Precious Achiuwa, Josh Hart and even Donte DiVincenzo. Boston has players who can also hurt Indiana in the field, while Rick Carlisle's squad is struggling during these playoffs to control the rebound. The Pacers' opponents recover 31.9% of their missed shots, while it's only 19.5% for the Celtics' opponents!
– A lack of defensive wingers? If Boston is full of players capable of slowing down Tyrese Haliburton, the opposite is not necessarily true. Who will clash with the duo Jaylen Brown – Jayson Tatum? Apart from Aaron Nesmith (a former Celtic), the Pacers squad is rather made up of fast leaders/backs and interior players. How will the Pacers be able to slow down the Jay's without losing too much weight?
THE KEYS TO THE SERIES
– Can the Pacers defense really hold up? Cataclysmic at the start of the campaign, Indiana's defense has made significant progress, particularly since the arrival of Pascal Siakam, who stabilized the whole. However, it remains fragile, like Tyrese Haliburton who can be targeted, while the Brown/Tatum duo could hurt him a lot, especially since Rick Carlisle doesn't have that many defensive wingers. to oppose to the Celtic duo. And if the coach is forced to take two shots to avoid Jay's domination, he risks opening boulevards for the Massachusetts shooters behind the 3-point line.
– Can Tyrese Haliburton really dominate? If the Pacers want to advance to the Finals, they will need to limit the offensive efficiency of the Celtics and limit the opponent's ammunition (interceptions and offensive rebounds). But above all they will need a very big Tyrese Haliburton, who is blowing hot and cold in these playoffs. And who will especially have to deal with some great defenders (Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, etc.) throughout the series.
REGULAR SEASON
Boston 3-2
– November, 1st : Boston – Indiana (155-104)
– December 4: Indiana –Boston (122-112)
– January 6: Indiana – Boston (101-118)
– January 8: Indiana – Boston (133-131)
– January 30: Boston – Indiana (129-124)
VERDICT
Boston 4-1. Even if Kristaps Porzingis will miss the start of the series, and even perhaps the entirety of this conference final, his absence is not necessarily too heavy a weight against this version of the Pacers, who score a lot at home. inside, but attacking from the wings. It is therefore the first defensive curtain of the Celtics which must first of all control Tyrese Haliburton and company. The problem is that Boston seems to have the weapons to do so while, on the other side of the field, the Pacers seem to lack the tools to slow down Boston's attack, and in particular the Jayson Tatum duo – Jaylen Brown.
CALENDAR
Game 1: in Boston, Tuesday May 21 (2:00 a.m., Tuesday night to Wednesday)
Game 2: in Boston, Thursday May 23 (02:00 a.m., Thursday night to Friday)
Game 3: in Indianapolis, Saturday May 25 (2:30 a.m., Saturday night to Sunday)
Game 4: in Indianapolis, Monday May 27 (2:00 a.m., Monday night to Tuesday)
Game 5*: in Boston, Wednesday May 29 (02:00, Wednesday night to Thursday)
Game 6*: in Indianapolis, Friday May 31 (2:00 a.m., Friday night to Saturday)
Game 7*: in Boston, Sunday June 2 (02:00 a.m., Sunday night to Monday)
* If necessary.
