The Celtics look to win their fifth straight sport as they head to Indiana to tackle the Pacers in a rematch of the Japanese Convention Finals. Regardless of the truth that they swept the Pacers within the ECF, the Celtics felt that they have been their hardest matchup of the playoffs. Just one sport was a blow out by 16 factors. The primary sport went to extra time whereas Video games 3 and 4 have been simply 3 level wins.
The Pacers have struggled out of the blocks this season. They beat the Pistons of their season opener however then misplaced to the Knicks, 76ers and Magic of their subsequent 3 video games. Like Jayson Tatum, Haliburton was given little or no enjoying time within the Olympics however as a substitute of coming again with a chip on his shoulder as Tatum did, he appears to be extra complacent this season. Nonetheless, Haliburton and the Pacers did play a lot better of their most up-to-date loss to the Magic.
That is the primary of three conferences between these two groups this season. They may face off once more on December 27 and December 29, with each of these video games in Boston. The Celtics received the collection 3-2 final season, together with a loss to them within the NBA Cup In-Season Event. They’re 109-85 total all time in opposition to the Pacers and they’re 41-57 in video games performed in Indiana.
Each groups had comparatively quiet off seasons. The Celtics stood pat for essentially the most half within the off season, bringing again their complete core of gamers and shedding simply Svi Mykhailiuk and Oshae Brissett. They added Baylor Scheierman, who was the thirtieth decide within the draft and signed 2nd spherical decide, Anton Watson to a 2 method contract. They’ve one open roster spot. They’ve additionally added a few chips on their shoulder after Olympic snubs and different drama over the summer time.
The Pacers additionally stood pat for essentially the most half and introduced again their core gamers. Final yr, Indiana added Obi Toppin, Bruce Brown Jr., and Pascal Siakam and so they needed to alter lineups and construct chemistry as they went alongside. Throughout coaching camp this season, the Pacers constructed chemistry on and off the court docket. They’re hoping that having a while collectively final season and having coaching camp collectively this season will assist them to take one other step ahead this season.
The Celtics will likely be with out Kristaps Porzingis, who remains to be rehabbing from off season ankle surgical procedure. He isn’t anticipated to return till someday in December. Sam Hauser missed the final 3 video games with soreness in his decrease again and has been upgraded to possible for this sport. For the Pacers, James Wiseman is out with an ACL tear. Johnny Furphy is questionable with a strep throat and Myles Turner is questionable with a sprained ankle.
Possible Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
2 Means Gamers
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Accidents/Out
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) out
Sam Hauser (again) possible
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Possible Pacers Starters
Pacers Reserves
Isaiah Jackson
James Johnson
Benedict Mathurin
TJ McConnell
Ben Sheppard
Obi Toppin
Jarace Walker
2 Means Gamers
Enrique Freeman
Quenton Jackson
Tristen Newton
Accidents/Out
Johnny Furphy (sickness) questionable
James Wiseman (knee) out
Myles Turner (ankle) questionable
Head Coach
Rick Carlisle
Key Matchups
-
Jrue Vacation
Photograph by Elsa/Getty Photographs
-
Tyrese Haliburton
Photograph by Dylan Buell/Getty Photographs
Jrue Vacation vs Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton had a escape yr final season, averaging 20.1 factors, 3.9 rebounds and 10.9 assists. He was additionally named to the All Star staff and the Olympic staff. To date this season he has began out slowly, averaging 14 factors, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals whereas capturing 33.9% from the sphere and 26.5% from past the arc. Over his profession, he has averaged 18.5 factors, 4.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.8 steals per sport in opposition to the Celtics.
-
Jayson Tatum
Photograph by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE by way of Getty Photographs
-
Pascal Siakam
Photograph by Ron Hoskins/NBAE by way of Getty Photographs
Jayson Tatum vs Pascal Siakam
Siakam is averaging 18.5 factors, 6.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.0 steal per sport whereas capturing 54.5% from the sphere and 31.3% from past the arc. Over his profession, he averaged 17.8 factors, 5.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per sport over his profession. Jayson Tatum struggled considerably in opposition to the Bucks and must be trying to get again on observe on this one.
Honorable Point out
Al Horford vs Myles Turner
Turner is averaging 15.0 factors, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals and a couple of.0 blocks per sport this season. Over his profession, he has averaged 13.5 factors, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per sport in opposition to the Celtics. Al Horford has been enjoying very properly with Kristaps Porzingis out to start the season and hopefully that may proceed on this sport.
Keys to the Recreation
Protection – Protection is the important thing to profitable each single sport. The Pacers haven’t been the scoring juggernaut they have been final season. They’re averaging 110.5 factors per sport (twenty third) whereas the Celtics are averaging 124.3 factors per sport (1st). The Celtics are 14th within the league with a defensive ranking of 111.2. The Pacers are twenty third with a defensive ranking of 115.8. The Celtics must make protection their identification and their precedence. The Celtics need to play powerful protection to forestall the Pacers from getting out on the break and scoring straightforward factors.
Rebound – The Celtics are twenty sixth within the league, knocking down 41.0 rebounds per sport. The Pacers are twenty ninth with 38.3 rebounds per sport. It’s important for the Celtics to rebound the ball to provide themselves additional possessions and to forestall the Pacers from getting the identical together with 2nd likelihood factors. To date, the Celtics haven’t been rebounding in addition to they did final season. A lot of rebounding is need and energy and the Celtics have gotten to place out extra effort on the boards.
Factors within the Paint – The Celtics consider capturing from the perimeter and often that may result in a dominant win for them since, as Joe Mazzulla says, 3 is greater than 2. Nonetheless, they’ve been outscored within the paint in all 4 of their video games to date by a big margin. The Celtics are final within the league with simply 36.0 factors within the paint per sport. The Bucks are sixth with 54 factors within the paint per sport. The Celtics want to attain inside extra, particularly when the three’s aren’t falling. In addition they need to defend inside higher to forestall opponents from getting straightforward buckets within the paint.
Most Effort for 48 Minutes – The Celtics are going through certainly one of their hardest opponents from final season’s playoffs. There’s a good chance that they’ll see them within the playoffs in some unspecified time in the future this season. The Celtics effort of their final 2 video games was good at instances and never so good at different instances. The Celtics have to provide max effort on the boards and on protection and so they have to provide that effort for the complete sport and never simply 2 quarters.
X-Elements
On The Street and Fatigue – The Celtics are enjoying of their third sport on the street this season. The Celtics are going through the distractions of journey and a hostile crowd and so they can’t permit these distractions to remove from their concentrate on the sport. Then again, the Pacers are enjoying within the third sport in 4 nights. Fatigue might are available in to minimize the stretch for each groups attributable to journey and three video games in 4 nights.
Revenge – The Celtics swept the Pacers 4-0 within the Japanese Convention Finals final season, despite the entire video games being very aggressive. The Pacers have had a somewhat lackluster begin to this season with a 1-3 document. Going through off in opposition to the Celtics as soon as once more ought to give them motivation to up their effort to attempt to actual some revenge for final yr’s ECF loss.
Officiating – Officiating can all the time be an x-factor. Each officiating crew calls the sport otherwise. Will the refs name it tight? Will they allow them to play? The officiating in opposition to the Bucks was horrible and so hopefully it is going to be higher on this one. As soon as once more, the Celtics should alter to the way in which the crew is looking the sport and never permit it to grow to be a distraction for them.
And ensure to take a look at CelticsBlog’s Playback stream for a dwell dialog concerning the sport. To take part, simply create a free account, join your LP sub in case you have it, and be part of our group.
