The Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers will face off in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night. The Celtics are heavy favorites and have been since before the playoffs even started. With the best regular season record by a large margin, Boston has been one of the top picks to win the NBA Finals. It is no surprise that the Boston Celtics have made it to the conference finals.
It is a bit of a surprise that the Indiana Pacers are here though. A hot and talented New York Knicks gave them a tough battle in the conference semifinals. However, injuries critically hurt the Knicks and they lost to the Pacers in seven games. The Pacers, led by 24-year-old point guard Tyrese Haliburton, are having a terrific playoffs. Will the Pacers come out strong and win Game 1 or will the Celtics show them who’s boss?
Boston Celtics vs. Indiana Pacers Betting Odds
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 20, 2024
| Team | Spread | Total | MoneyLine |
| Boston | -10
-110 |
U 221.5
-112 |
-455 |
| Indiana | +10
-110 |
O 221.5
-108 |
-350 |
|
**Odds Subject To Change** |
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Boston Celtics vs. Indiana Pacers Game Details
Battle for the East 😤 pic.twitter.com/dht7PqxQsI
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 19, 2024
- Fixture: Indiana Pacers @ Boston Celtics
- Date and Time: Tuesday, May 21, 2024 @ 8:00 PM ET
- Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Apex Tale of the Tape
| Boston Celtics | vs. | Indiana Pacers |
| 8-2 | Record | 8-5 |
| 108.1 | Points Per Game | 114.2 |
| 39.2 | FG% | 50.7 |
| 37.7 | 3PT% | 38.1 |
| 44.9 | Rebounds Per Game | 40.9 |
| 96.7 | Points Allowed Per Game | 110.8 |
| 44.9 | Defensive FG% | 46.7 |
| 33.8 | Defensive 3PT% | 36.8 |
| 78.8 | Defensive FT% | 79.7 |
| 35.5 | Defensive Rebounds Per Game | 30.8 |
| 4-1 | Last 5 W-L | 4-1 |
Key Stats
Boston Celtics
Small forward Jayson Tatum has led the Celtics in scoring the past 10 games with 24.3 points per game. Shooting guard Jaylen Brown ranks second on the team with 23.1 points per game. Tatum also has led the team in rebounds per game and assists per game in the 2024 playoffs with 10.4 and 5.8 respectively. Brown leads the team in field goal percentage at 55.4. Role player Sam Hauser ranks first in three point percentage at 44.1.
Starting center Kristaps Porzingis will miss the start of the Eastern Conference Finals with a soleus strain on his right calf. He is expected to be out for the first two games according to ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski. Porzingis has been sidelined since Game 5 against the Miami Heat in the first round.
Porzingis is a key part of this Celtics team and their success. He averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in the regular season. The big man averaged 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in 4 postseason games. The Celtics are a good but not great team without Porzingis on the floor.
Kristaps Porzingis has a great ability to stretch the floor and the importance of a big man who can shoot the three effectively cannot be understated. Porzingis’ skill from deep adds to an already eclectic arsenal of three-point shooters for Boston. If Kristaps Porzingis comes back after Game 2 and returns to the way he has been playing this season, this tips the scales heavily in the Boston Celtics’ favor.
Indiana Pacers
Point guard Tyrese Haliburton leads the Pacers in scoring the past 10 games averaging 20.6 points per game. Halliburton also leads the team in assists per game with 8.1, which is the 4th most among all players in the 2024 playoffs. This postseason scoring average has stayed pretty consistent with his regular season average which was 20.1 points per game.
Center Pascal Siakam leads the team in rebounds per game this postseason with 7.5. Guard Andrew Nembhard ranks first on the Pacers in field goal percentage at 57.0 and a three-point percentage of 48.7, third highest among all players in the playoffs.
The Pacers do not have any major injuries except for guard Benedict Mathurin who suffered a season-ending labrum tear in early March.
Halliburton is going to have to have a huge series to beat this strong Celtics team. Along with Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner, they all must mesh to elevate their game and play team basketball to beat the heavily favored Boston Celtics.
Game Prediction
I think this game is going to be closer than people think. The Celtics, even though they are generally a very strong team this season, have had their fair share of inconsistencies. Last playoffs was a huge showing of inconsistency. The team was hot and cold and could not string together multiple wins until they won three games against the Miami Heat in the conference finals just to lose at home in Game 7.
From watching a lot of Celtics games over the years, you never really know what Celtics team you are going to get. Are you going to get the team that shoots the lights out from three, makes good passes, moves the ball well and overall plays team basketball? Or are you going to get the team that can’t make a three to save their lives, doesn’t try to do anything else and looks stagnant on offense while being a wet piece of paper on defense?
Some have said that the Celtics haven’t played much tough competition this playoffs. The Pacers will be the toughest team they have played yet. Are they on the Timberwolves, Mavericks, or even Nuggets level? No, but they are certainly better than the Cavaliers and Heat.
The Boston Celtics definitely can beat this team handily but it just comes down to whether they want to. The Celtics’ strongest opponent is themselves. If they don’t get in their own way, they can win this game. That being said, I think the Indiana Pacers are going to put up a good fight in Game 1. You are looking at the In-Season Tournament Champions after all and a team that beat the No.2 seed in the last round.
Final Pick
I am picking the Indiana Pacers to cover +10 in this game but see the Celtics winning by seven 110-103.
About The Author
Cooper Sherman is an avid NFL fan and enjoys watching and covering it the most. The NFL is king. He previously wrote and was a podcaster for the online publications Pro Sports Fanatics and Jersey Column. He is also an NBA fan and watches it occasionally, more when the NFL season ends. Tennis is also an underrated sport to watch. His teams are the Patriots and Celtics, as tough as it is to be a Patriots fan right now. He is optimistic that Jerod Mayo will turn this team in the right direction! Follow him on Instagram and Threads @coopstershermy456, and X/Twitter @justcoopthings.
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