8:00 PM EST, ESPN – Line: Celtics -9.0, Over/Under: 224.5
If the events of Game One was any indication, we could be in for an epic series between the top-seeded Boston Celtics and the sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers, as Game Two of this Eastern Conference Final tips off tonight from TD Garden. This recent renaissance in Indianapolis nearly hit a fevered (pun intended) pitch in Tuesday night’s opener, folks, as the Pacers (47-35, 6th in Eastern Conference) very nearly pulled their second titanic road upset in three days. Just forty-eight hours after a seismic 130-109 triumph over the Knicks in Game Seven of the Eastern Semifinals at Madison Square Garden, Indiana hit the road north to TD Garden, where they gave the hosts everything they could handle and more. Seriously, folks, (Head Coach) Rick Carlisle’s charges did everything EXCEPT win the damned game. After falling behind 0-12 in the first quarter, the visitors found their footing and shifted into high gear, heading into halftime level at 64-64, thanks in large part to 58.7% shooting from the field, including 8-of-15 from beyond the arc (53.3%), twenty-two assists and eight turnovers. Needless to say, this what we’ve come to expect from Indy, who paced (again, pun intended) the Association in scoring (123.3), field goal percentage (50.7%), and assists (30.8), while ranking runners-up in pace (101.7 possessions per 48 minutes). However, the second half proved to be a strange entity, for after rallying back to retake the lead after falling behind by thirteen points, the visiting side completely self-destructed. Of their twenty-two total turnovers, EIGHT came in the fourth quarter and overtime, including a botched inbound from (All-Star Pont Guard) Tyrese Haliburton to (former NBA Champion) Pascal Siakam with less than ten seconds on the clock, which ultimately led to Jaylen Brown’s (much more on him in a bit) dagger from the corner over Siakam to send the affair into OT. From there, it was more of the same for the Pacers, who could muster just two field goals on eight attempts (25.0%) with three more turnovers to boot, ultimately sealing their fate. In the end, Haliburton & Co did a lot of very good things; they shredded the home side’s vaunted defense for 128 points on 53.3% shooting, with thirty-eight assists on fifty-three made shots. Furthermore, Haliburton (pictured below) became the third player in franchise history to record 25+ points and 10+ assists in the playoffs, while (veteran Center) Myles Turner has a hell of a game with twenty-three points, ten rebounds, four assists, and a pair of blocks. However, those turnovers were an absolute killer, as the home side turned them into THIRTY-TWO points. Hell, in the final 5:30 of gametime between the fourth quarter and overtime, they had more turnovers (5) than assists (2). Now, the question is whether or not a team that is accustomed to operating at maximum speed can slow things down enough to minimize their own mistakes? Despite their penchant for pushing tempo, this was a team that took good care of the rock throughout the campaign, committing the ninth-fewest turnovers (12.9) and posting a turnover percentage of just 11.3% (6th Overall). Remembering that will go a long way towards drawing even in this series before the scene shifts to Indianapolis this weekend.
From a betting perspective, it seems that the public is still very much bewitched by the Pacers, who very nearly left TD Garden with a victory in Tuesday night’s opener, as roughly 73% of all bets wagered upon this second chapter are riding with the visitors. Indiana’s straight-up success has mirrored that against the spread, with just three games separating the two records. Carlisle’s troops are a solid 52-42-2 in that latter regard this season, equating to a net profit of 5.27 units. They are 8-5 versus the spread thus far in these playoffs, while stringing together at least three consecutive covers for the first time since January 5th. Indy has also covered four of their last five meetings with Boston, while covering FIVE straight outings as a road underdog of 5.0-10.5 points, which was the case in the opener. Historically, the Pacers are 1-7 all-time in the Eastern Conference Finals, with Game One’s loss marking the sixth time that they happened to lose the opener of said series. This could be an omen of things to come, for this is a franchise that has NEVER advanced past this stage of the postseason after falling to win the first battle.
Meanwhile, they say that one of the hallmarks of a great team is that they continue to find ways to win games in which they had not been at their best, which is appropriate when discussing these Celtics (64-18, 1st in Eastern Conference). After finishing with the best record in the Association by a wide margin, Boston handled their business in the first two rounds of the Playoffs, disposing of both Miami and Cleveland in five games apiece. Granted, both opponents were without significant pieces of their respective puzzles, but credit (Head Coach) Joe Mazzulla’s troops for doing what they were supposed to do without wasting much time along the way. However, they have yet to really become the world beater that we all expect them to be in this postseason for a variety of reasons. First, they have continued their perplexing trend of playing better on the road than they have at the friendly confines of TD Garden, dropping Game Two of each of the previous series. Second, they are far from healthy with the absence of a certain Latvian International (much more on him shortly) being the case for the entirety of the Eastern Semifinals. Lastly, (All-NBA Forward) Jayson Tatum hasn’t quite lived up to his billing in this postseason, shooting a tepid 43.0% shooting and a miserable 28.1% from three coming into this series. With that being said, Tuesday night’s 133-128 thriller in Beantown highlighted one of those reasons while thankfully dispelling another. Yes, the hosts once again struggled in front of their home crowd at TD Garden, needing a veritable collapse from the Pacers to push the affair into overtime, which is where Tatum took over. The 26-year-old scored ten of his thirty-six points in the extra period, the second-most ever by a Celtic in OT of a playoff game, while netting a healthy 12-of-26 attempts overall (46.2%), which is an improvement over what we’ve seen thus far. Granted, he still hasn’t quite found his stroke from downtown (2-of-8 3FG), but he nailed a dagger in OT to tie the game in the waning moments, while his prowess from the charity stripe (10-of-12 FT) and on the glass (12 rebounds), is evidence that Indiana doesn’t quite have many answers for him. At the end of the day, he, the aforementioned Brown, and (veteran Point Guard) Jrue Holiday accounted for NINETY points on 32-of-62 shooting (51.6%), marking the first time since 2018 that Boston had three different players rack up 25+ points in the same playoff game. Furthermore, Holiday’s season-twenty-eight points was almost overshadowed by his display on the defensive end, where he hounded Haliburton throughout the second half. In fact, he held the NBA’s assist leader to 0-of-5 shooting and two turnovers when he was the primary defender, which we’re sure is something that Mazzulla took note of.
From a betting perspective, Tuesday night’s close call in Beantown scared away more of the public as the Celtics managed to win without covering, which is something that they’ve done TWENTY-SIX times this season. As such, approximately 24% of all the money wagered upon tonight’s sequel is favoring the home side. Interestingly, the line is a bit smaller than it was in its predecessor, though still large enough to warrant pause; Boston has failed to cover four straight contests as a favorite of 9+ points, while on the season they are 24-20-3 when favored by such a margin altogether. Mazzulla’s troops have covered just three of their last ten encounters with the Pacers and have dropped four in a row on that front when following a straight-up victory. In injury-related news, an update was issued on the health of (sharpshooting Center) Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the last seven games due to strained calf muscle. Mazzulla stated that the Latvian International is expected to return by Game Four at the earliest, which is scheduled for Sunday. Historically, the Celtics are making their thirty-ninth appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals, by far and away the most of any franchise in the NBA. Furthermore, they are 20-3 all-time at this stage of this postseason after taking Game One of said series.
Projected Outcome: Celtics 124, Pacers 112
