After two Game 7s on Sunday — including one instant classic — to conclude the second round, the conference finals are set in the 2024 NBA playoffs. In the East, it’s the No. 1-seeded Boston Celtics vs. the sixth-seeded Pacers, who have crashed the party on something of a 2021 Hawks run. In the West, it’s the No. 3 Timberwolves, who ensured we’ll have a new champion for the sixth straight season by eliminating the Nuggets, against the No. 5 Mavericks.
Think about the young legacies starting to build here: By the end of June, one of Anthony Edwards (22 years old), Tyrese Haliburton (24 years old), Luka Doncic (25 years old) or Jayson Tatum (26 years old) will have their first championship. Every one of those guys would register as a younger first-time champion than the likes of LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, Nikola Jokic and Dirk Nowitzki, among others.
So, who’s it going to be? Well, we have to decide the conference finals first. And with that in mind, our expert picks are below.
Eastern Conference finals: Celtics vs. Pacers
Botkin: Celtics in 4. I don’t think Indiana gets a game here. Too many weapons for Boston. Indiana is on a 2021 Hawks run where the bracket has broken perfectly for a surprise conference finals run over two injury-ravaged teams in the Bucks and Knicks, but the dream ends here. And it ends quickly.
Herbert: Celtics in 5. These are two amazing offensive teams, and it’ll go longer than this if the Celtics aren’t as sharp as they should be. Boston’s defense is worlds better than Indiana’s, though, and Joe Mazzula is going to make sure his team understands that everything starts with decision-making: If the Celtics take care of the ball and space the floor properly, they should be able to limit the Pacers in transition, where they’re most dangerous.
Quinn: Celtics in 5. Game 7 was evidence of just how dynamic the Pacers can be when the shots are falling. The rest of the Knicks series shows how vulnerable they can be when they aren’t. Even…
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Author : Brad Botkin
Publish date : 2024-05-20 19:24:40
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