Knicks or Pacers? Scouting Celtics’ potential East Finals opponents

Knicks or Pacers? Scouting Celtics’ potential East Finals opponents originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

For the second time this postseason, the Boston Celtics are in the clubhouse having expeditiously closed out an opponent and once again are waiting for their next-round opponent to be determined.

So who should the Celtics desire to see next, the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks?

The Knicks own a 3-2 series lead over the Pacers heading into Friday night’s Game 6 in Indiana. The Celtics probably wouldn’t mind if, for the second straight round, their next opponent had to slog through a seven-game series with a quick turnaround to the start of the next round.

The Eastern Conference Finals tip off Tuesday night at TD Garden. Boston’s opponent would be playing its third game in three cities in five days if there’s a Game 7 between the Pacers and Knicks on Sunday in New York.

Regardless of the opponent, that team will be quite familiar for Boston. Because of the inaugural In-Season Tournament, the Celtics played both of their potential opponents five times during the 2023-24 campaign.

Boston was 4-1 against the Knicks, including an opening-night triumph at Madison Square Garden. New York did win an April meeting with a new-look roster including OG Anunoby in a game where Jalen Brunson erupted for 39 points.

The Celtics posted a 3-2 mark against Indiana this season. Those high-scoring matchups (average point total of 245.8) included the amped Pacers winning an IST semifinal on their home turf. Despite the extra regular-season matchup, the two teams have not met since January 30.

The second-seeded Knicks were dominant at the finish line of the season, surging to the No. 2 seed. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton battled some injury woes as the Pacers slid to No. 6. While both teams present unique challenges for the Celtics, the Knicks are maybe the more prickly foe for a handful of reasons:

The Brunson Factor

There’s no denying how good Jalen Brunson has been this postseasn — and for the entirety of the 2023-24 season.

Brunson, the son of Salem High School product and former Celtics point guard Rick Brunson,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/knicks-pacers-scouting-celtics-potential-155348800.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-05-17 15:57:43

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