After a wonderful regular season with gems like the in-season tournament and a great all-star weekend, it is time for the NBA playoffs! We have an electric Eastern Conference Finals between the Pacers of Indiana and the Boston Celtics. Here is what you should know.
Wow what a series we got from the Pacers and Knicks, an unreal battle from two great teams from start to finish, but will the squad from Indy be able to stay hot and keep rolling? They score the most points per game in the NBA with 123.3, and are second in offensive rating only to the Celtics. Siakam was a great pickup as he leads the team averaging 21.3 supported by Haliburton and Turner who average 20.1 and 17.1 respectively. Four other Pacers average double digits and this team has some serious depth to their roster. Sure they can struggle at times on defense, but they have outstanding pace and love to run. Will that be enough to take out the big bad Celtics? It has not seemed like it so far but maybe going back to Indiana will be a good change of pace… See what I did there? If the Pacers want a shot at the title they really need to turn it up and quick. That might be a tough task as Hali seems to be dealing with an injury.
If you ask me I don’t think the Pacers will be able to bounce back. The Celtics are favored in this series by a lot for good reason. While they average a few fewer points than the Pacers they have the highest rated offensive efficiency and the third highest defensive efficiency making them the most well rounded team in the Association. JT and JB have looked unreal, Porzingis should be healthy soon, and the Celtics have top to bottom the best roster in the league in my opinion. I think they should definitely win the series, and it all continues with stealing at least one game on the road. JT has been solid, JB has been fantastic, and the bench has shown up in a big way. Game two was an important statement, and if Tyrese is not healthy we could be in for a sweep. Look for the Celtics to keep it up and win at least one in Indiana.
Always bet responsibly!