Celtics and Pacers set to clash in the Eastern Conference Finals. Who holds the advantage?
Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, right, is defended by Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball In-Season Tournament game, Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
The Celtics will face the Pacers in their third straight trip to the Eastern Conference Finals after Indiana won Game 7 130-109 over the Knicks in New York on Sunday afternoon in a stunning upset.
Boston will have homecourt advantage for the seven-game series, which will begin at TD Garden on Tuesday night, producing a quick turnaround for the visitors.
Boston went 3-2 against the Pacers in the regular season, featuring an extra game thanks to an additional matchup in the midseason tournament, a contest that Boston dropped on the road.
Celtics and Pacers set to clash in the Eastern Conference Finals. Who holds the advantage?
The Celtics will be coming off five days of rest since wrapping up their second-round series against the Cavs in five games on Wednesday night. However, the team will still be without star center Kristaps Porzingis for the beginning of the series as he recovers from a calf strain. Porzingis has missed six straight postseason games with the injury.
“You know that he wants to play,” Jrue Holiday said after Sunday’s practice. “You know that he wants to get out there and play with his teammates, but then seeing him out there and seeing him working has been good. And honestly just hope that he recovers fast so that we can get him back out there.”
While the Celtics may be without Porzingis, they will be healthier and fresher than their opposition after a seven-game series grind. The extra rest has left this group antsy about getting back on the floor this week to try to get the franchise back to the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons.
“Really excited to get back out there and play,” Holiday said. “Seems like we’ve been off for a while so excited to get out there Game 1, kind of get it started.”
The Celtics and Pacers tip off Game 1 at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night at TD Garden. Here is the full series schedule.
