How the high-octane Pacers could push Celtics in East Finals

How the high-octane Pacers could push Celtics in East Finals originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Indiana Pacers rode a historic shooting performance to a Game 7 upset over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden Sunday and now will trek to Boston to open the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night.

The Celtics know plenty well what the Pacers’ offense is capable of after playing five regular-season games against them this season. But even in shooting a ridiculous 67.1 percent on Sunday afternoon, the Pacers still had to fend off a feverish Knicks rally that ran out of gas after Jalen Brunson fractured his left hand.

The Pacers finished 17 games back of the Celtics in the East and barely avoided slipping into the play-in tournament at the finish line of the season. Still, their offensive firepower is undeniable. The Pacers would have set an NBA record for offensive rating this season at 120.5 if Boston hadn’t finished ahead of them at 122.2.

Indiana, having upset both Milwaukee and New York to open the postseason, owns the best offensive rating in the playoffs at 121.7 (Boston is second at 118.9). The question is whether its defense can hold up against a Boston team that has flexed its two-way muscle (the Celtics’ +12.8 net rating is best in the postseason and by 4.2 points over the next closest team).

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How can the Pacers stress the Celtics in the East finals?

Haliburton battled a cocktail of injuries, including an ankle sprain and a hamstring strain which cost him a total of 13 regular-season games. He’s cranked it back up in the postseason.

In seven games against the Knicks, Haliburton averaged 21.3 points while shooting 53.8 percent from the floor and 43.9 percent beyond the 3-point arc. He added seven assists against just 1.7 turnovers over 33.6 minutes per game.

His…

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Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-05-20 03:01:01

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