J-Speaks: 2024 East Finals Preview

 (1)   Boston Celtics versus (6) Indiana Pacers

      (64-18)                               (47-35)

Season-Series: Celtics Won 3-2 (0-1 IST)
Playoff History: BOS def IND 3-2 1991 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
                            BOS def IND 3-0 1992 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
                            BOS def IND 4-2 2003 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
                            BOS def IND 4-0 2004 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
                            IND def BOS 4-3 2005 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
                            BOS def IND 4-0 2019 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

It is not a surprise that the boys from “Beantown” are playing to represent the Eastern Conference in NBA championship round for the second time in the past three seasons. The team that is standing in their path in the boys from “Hoosier Country” are a surprise as they have made the most of their first postseason appearance in a decade. Their previous six postseason encounters all occurred in the opening-round of the postseason. The two now meet for the first time outside the Quarterfinal round with a berth in the NBA Finals on the line. For the boys from “Beantown,” they hope to get one step closer to winning the franchise’s 18^th championship in franchise history. While the boys from “Hoosier Country” hope to punch their ticket to “The Finals” for the second time in franchise history, including their first since the start of the new century.

Following their 14^th 60-plus win season in their storied franchise history with 64 wins in the regular season and winning their third straight Atlantic Division title, the Celtics have been decent in the first two round of 2024 Playoffs taking out the No. 8 Seeded Miami Heat and the No. 5 Seeded Cleveland Cavaliers winning both series 4-1.

The Celtics have followed the same pattern to win their first two series in 2024 NBA Playoffs. They won Game 1 at home but dropped Game 2 at because the Heat and Cavaliers each had single-game franchise record from three-point range.

The Heat in their Game 2 victory (111-101) in the opening-round at the Celtics Apr. 24, 2024 (TNT) hit a single-game franchise Playoff record 23 triples, going 23/43 from three.

The Cavs in their Game 2 victory in the East Semis at the Celtics on May 9, 2024 (TNT) connected on 13 for 28 from three and shot 54.7 percent on the night (47/86 FGs) and outscored the Celtics 36-24 in the third quarter and 28-16 in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics answered in the first two round by taking the final three games of both series including both Games 3 and 4 on their opponent’s home floor to win both series 4-1. 

The Celtics earned their third straight Finals appearance and six in the last eight seasons behind their dynamic All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum (24.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 5.8 apg) and Jaylen Brown (23.1 ppg, who have been flanked by Derrick White (18.2 ppg, 48.5 FG%, 43.5 3-Pt.%), Kristaps Porzingis (12.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.5 bpg 40 3-Pt.%), Jrue Holiday (10.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.1 apg, 44.0 FG%, 38.6 3-Pt.%), Al Horford (8.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 47.3 3-Pt.%), Payton Pritchard (7.8 ppg, 45.2 FG%, 42.9 3-Pt.%), and Sam Hauser (5.5 ppg, 48.8 FG%, 44.2 3-Pt.%).

In the opening-round versus the Heat, it was Brown and White who did the heavy lifting offensively with Brown (22.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 52.2 FG%) and White (22.4 ppg, 57.7 FG%, 47.7 3-Pt.%). Tatum was solid with his overall game (21.8 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 5.4 apg) but his shooting efficiency was not there connecting on just 41.6 percent from the field and 29 percent on his triple tries but shot 80 percent at the foul line on an average of nine trips (36/45 FTs).  

In the East Semis against the Cavs, Tatum’s (26.8 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 6.2 apg) shooting efficiency overall ticked up to 44.1 percent, which also rose his scoring output, while also continuing to get to the foul line at a solid rate at 7.4 attempts, connecting on 94.6 percent of those tries (35/37 FTs).  

Tatum in the Cavs’ victories in Cleveland had his two best games of this postseason so far with 33 points, 13 boards, and six assists on 11/25 from the floor and 9/9 at the charity stripe in the 106-93 victory in Game 3 May 11, 2024 (ABC). That was followed by another 33-point performance with 11 rebounds and five assists with two steals on 11/25 shooting and 9/9 at the foul line again in the Game 4 triumph (109-102) two nights later (TNT). In the Game 5 clincher, Tatum had a near triple-double with 25 points, 10 boards and nine assists on 9/16 shooting, including 3/7 from three.  

Brown (23.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 59.2 FG%, 42.9 3-Pt.%) was also solid in the East Semis against the Cavs.

The Pacers, who made the Playoffs for the first time since 2020 restart in Orlando, FL are back in the East Finals for the first time since 2014 and are making their ninth appearance in the Eastern Conference championship round.

Head Coach Rick Carlisle’s squad got here by taking down the injury riddled No. 3 Seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the opening-round 4-2, who missed perennial All-Star and two-time Kia MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the East Semis, they outlasted the No. 2 Seeded New York Knicks, who missed All-Star Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic, Mitchell Robinson to start the series. They lost OG Anunoby the final five games of the series and All-Star lead guard Jalen Brunson was lost late in the third quarter of Game 7 on Sunday when he broke his left hand while swiping down on lead All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton on a breakaway layup.

While the Pacers’ top seeded opponents were depleted by those injuries to key personnel, the boys from “Hoosier Country,” handle their business in those series behind their dynamic offensive attack and their incredible depth from their starters to their reserves.

The Pacers high-octane offense, which was one of the best in NBA history during the regular season, leading the NBA in scoring at 123.3 points has continued into the postseason led by Haliburton (19.3 ppg, 8.2 apg, 4.9 rpg, 48.8 FG%, 38.1 3-Pt.%).

In the opening-round series against the Bucks, Haliburton (16.0 ppg, 9.3 apg, 5.8 rpg) was solid in terms of his floor game, but his shooting effectiveness just was not there as he shot 43.5 percent overall from the field and just 29.6 percent from three.

In Game 3 of the First-Round versus the Bucks, Haliburton overcame a rough shooting performance (8/22 FGs-1/12 3-Pt.) by registering his first career triple-double of 18 points, 16 assists, and 10 rebounds and hit the go-ahead field goal that helped the Pacers pull out a 121-118 victory in overtime in Game 3 Apr. 26, 2024 (ESPN) to go up in the series 2-1.

While those shooting struggles continued in the Game 6 clinching win versus the Bucks (120-98) on May 2, 2024 (TNT) where he went just 2/10 from three, Haliburton had his third double-double of the series with 17 points and 10 assists with six boards on 7/16 shooting overall.

In the East Semis against the Knicks, Haliburton was publicly pushed by his head coach to raise his offensive aggressiveness. Looking to score and find open teammates second.

That adjustment worked as Haliburton in the series averaged 24 points on 17.5 field goal attempts in the victories compared to just 17.6 points on just 11.3 shot attempts in the three losses.

In the Pacers aforementioned Game 3 victory versus the Knicks, Haliburton had his best scoring night of the postseason with 35 points with seven assists on 14/26 from the field, including 6/16 from three-point range. This was on the heels of a 34-point performance with nine assists and six rebounds on 11/19 from the field, including 7/11 from three in the Game 2 defeat (130-121) May 8, 2024 at the Knicks (TNT).

In the Game 7 clincher at the Knicks on Sunday afternoon (130-109) (ABC), Haliburton led the way with 26 points and six assists on 10/17 shooting, including 6/12 from three. He scored 14 of those 26 points in the opening period, going 5/7 from the field, including 4/5 on his triple tries.

Back in the middle of January, the Pacers made a major deal in acquiring All-Star forward Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors, who brought with him postseason and championship experience in helping the Raptors win it all in 2019 over the back-to-back reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors in six games.

After a rocky beginning when he first arrived during the regular season, Siakam (21.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.8 apg, 53.6 FG%) has really hit his stride with the Pacers especially in the postseason.

To open the First-Round at the Bucks, Siakam scored 36 points with 13 rebounds and two blocks on 15/25 shooting in Game 1. But the Bucks lost the opener of the series (109-94) Apr. 21, 2024 (TNT). In the Game 2 victory (125-108) two nights later (NBATV) that tied the series 1-1, Siakam scored a Playoff career-high 37 points with 11 rebounds, six assists on 16/23 shooting, going 3/4 from three.

Siakam though was quiet in the game that followed until the close of the Knicks series where he scored 20-plus in four of the final five games. That included a 26-point performance with seven rebounds on 9/14 shooting and 7/9 at the charity stripe in the 111-106 triumph in Game 3 versus the Knicks on May 10, 2024 (ESPN) that cut the Pacers’ series deficit to 2-1. He then registered 25 points with seven boards and five assists with two steals on 11/21 shooting in the Game 6 triumph (116-103) versus the Knicks last Friday night (ESPN) that tied the series 2-2.  

The Pacers deep roster also consist of veterans in Myles Turner (17.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 52.3 FG%, 47.3 3-Pt.%) and Haliburton’s understudy in T.J. McConnell (10.9 ppg, 5.2 apg,  48.6 FG%). Youngsters in Andrew Nembhard (12.9 ppg, 5.0 apg, 56.5 FG%, 48.8 3-Pt.%), Obi Toppin (11.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 54.4 FG%), Aaron Nesmith (10.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg), Ben Sheppard (5.6 ppg, 47.4 FG%, 43.9 3-Pt.%) and Isaiah Jackson.

Turner came up big for the Pacers in the Games 3 and 4 in the opening-round versus the Bucks. He registered 29 points and nine rebounds on 10/21 shooting, including 4/10 from three in the aforementioned Game 3 win in OT. He scored 29 again with nine rebounds and three blocks on 10/17 from the floor, including going 7/9 from three-point range in the Game 4 victory (126-113) Apr. 28, 2024 (TNT) that put the Pacers up 3-1.

The Pacers on that night made a single-game franchise Playoff record 22 triples, going 22/43 from three.

Turner in the Game 3 victory in the East Semis versus the Knicks had his first double-double of this postseason with 21 points and 10 boards with three blocks on 7/13 shooting.

In that same game, Nembhard hit the go-ahead three with 16 seconds left that gave the Pacers the eventual victory.

Last season, Toppin with the Knicks was languishing at times playing behind Randle and it was a struggle to earn minutes under Head Coach Tom Thibodeau who will only play certain guys that he trust, especially at the defensive end.

With the Pacers, Toppin has earned Coach Carlisle’s trust and it has resulted in him being a major contributor off the Pacers bench.

In the Game 6 clincher versus the Bucks, Toppin led the way off the bench with 21 points and eight boards on 8/15 from the field, making three triples. He averaged for the series 12.3 points and 5.8 boards on 49.2 percent from the floor.

Against his former team in the East Semis, Toppin scored in double-figures four times against the Knicks. His best game of the series came in the Game 2 defeat at the Knicks where he scored 20 off the bench on 7/10 shooting.

During the regular season, the Celtics took three of the five meetings, outscoring the Pacers 129 to 116.8. The differential of -12.2 by the Celtics over the Pacers was the largest deficit against any opponent against the Pacers.

The Pacers during the regular season led the league in scoring at 123.3 and just behind them at No. 2 were the Celtics 120.6.

              Most Combined Points Per Game In Playoff Series In NBA History                           
                                                                                                                               Combined PPG
1967 NBA Finals                                76ers-Warriors (SF)                                       247.6
1962 East Division Finals                 Celtics-Warriors (PHI)                                  246.5
1962 East Division Semifinals          Warriors (PHI)-Nationals (SYR)                  246.2
1967 East Division Finals                 76ers-Celtics                                                    244.5
2024 Eastern Conference Finals      Pacers-Celtics                                                  243.9

The difference between these two teams is that the Celtics were No. 5 in points allowed (109.2) while the Pacers were No. 2 in points allowed (120.2).

In their first meeting of the season, the Celtics blew out the Pacers (155-104) at home on Nov. 1, 2023, where they scored 44 points in the opening period to lead 44-27 and then outscored and 46-33 in the fourth quarter.

Tatum in his last eight his last games against the Pacers, including the Playoffs has scored 30 or more, the longest streak all-time versus the Pacers. In the four games against the Pacers, Tatum averaged 32.5 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.8 assists on 57.8 percent from the field and 48.6 percent from three-point range.

Brown was just as effective against the Pacers averaging in the five meetings in regular season 28.4 points and 6.2 boards on 60.6 percent from the floor.

Along with their 1-2 punch on offense with Tatum and Brown, they along with the dynamic defensive starting backcourt of Holiday and White, and Pritchard will be tasked to slowing down Haliburton, who in the four games he played against the Celtics in the regular season averaged just 15.8 points, nine assists, and 5.3 rebounds on 41.1 percent from the floor and 32.1 percent from three (compared 20.1 ppg, 10.9 apg-Led NBA, 47.7 FG%, 36.4 3-Pt.%). 

In the Pacers’ first win of the regular season versus the Celtics during the In-Season Tournament Dec. 4, 2024 (TNT) Haliburton had his first career triple-double with 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds on 10/18 from the floor, including 5/11 from three-point range.

On this night, the Pacers overcame a nine-point deficit at intermission (57-48) outscoring the Celtics 74-57 in the second half, including 37-23 in the third quarter.

The Pacers outshot the Celtics from three-point range going 19/40 compared to 12/41 by the visitors as well as outshot them at the foul line going 17/21 compared to 8/12 by the Celtics.  

The Celtics did not help themselves in the defeat with 18 turnovers that led to 17 Pacers points.

For the Pacers to have a chance in this series, they will need to play to the level they did in the two wins they had against the Celtics, where they kept the tempo up and scored on every easy chance they got. Meaning Haliburton and McConnell have to keep the tempo of the game up at all times and force the Celtics to play on their heels as much as possible.

So far this postseason, when the Pacers have scored 120 or more, they have a 6-1 record.

Defensively, the Pacers will have to try and contain Tatum and that assignment will go to Nesmith, who went against Tatum every day in practice for two seasons (2020-22) as the Celtics No. 1 draft choice (No. 14 overall) in 2020 out of Vanderbilt University.

Nesmith was traded to the Pacers two off-seasons back as part of the 5-1 deal that sent now Portland Trail Blazers veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon to the Celtics.

Nesmith, who had some success in slowing down the Brunson, will be called upon to attempt to slow down Tatum.

Perhaps the biggest key in determining the outcome of this series is what takes place both in the paint and on the perimeter.

The Celtics since the close of their First-Round tilt with the Heat have been without All-Star center Kristaps Porzingis due to a right calf strain sustain in the opening half of Game 4.

While the Celtics have gone 5-1 without Porzingis and 26-5 counting the regular season (21-4 record in regular season), his absence has resulted in the Celtics reverting back into some heavy isolation sets offensively. 

Filling in for Porzingis has been Horford, who put on a show in the series clinching 113-98 victory in Game 5 versus the Cavs May 15, 2024 (TNT) where he registered a massive double-double with 22 points and 15 rebounds with five assists, and three block shots on 8/15 from the field, including 6/13 from three-point range.

At age 37 years, 347 days, Horford, who registered his first 20-plus point game in the postseason since 2022 became the oldest player in NBA Playoff history to register 15-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, five-plus assists, and five-plus made threes.

Having Horford and Luke Kornet should be enough to get the Celtics past the Pacers. But considering what lies ahead in The Finals if they can get past the Pacers, they will need Porzingis’ size and sharp-shooting and rim protection to win it all against either the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Dallas Mavericks.

Another challenge for the Celtics in this series possibly and moving forward is how they might respond if this series against the Pacers and possibly The Finals have games that go to clutch time.

So far through their first 10 Playoff games, the Celtics have played just 79 seconds with the score of the game within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter/overtime, which took place in Game 4 at the Cavs.

Cleveland got within five on three occasions in the final period after trailing by nine with five minutes remaining. But the Cavs never got any closer as the Celtics closed the door scoring six points on four offensive possessions in “clutch time.”

Nine of the Celtics 10 games so far this postseason (including both of their setbacks) have been decided by 10 points or more.

The Pacers have gone 2-2 in “clutch games” so far this postseason, winning as previously mentioned Game 3 of the opening-round versus the Bucks and Game 3 in the East Semis versus the Knicks.

The other issue for the Celtics has been their play at home versus on the road not just this postseason but the past three postseasons, including this one.

While they have gone a solid 4-2 at TD Garden in the first two round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, the Celtics are just 15-14 on their home floor dating back to the 2022 postseason, compared to the 18-7 mark on the road, which includes a perfect 4-0 record so far in the 2024 Playoffs.

Holding serve at home will be big for the Celtics in this series because the Pacers even with their series clinching victory last Sunday afternoon at the Knicks are just 2-5 so far in the 2024 Playoffs on the road compared to 6-0 at home and have won 11 straight games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.  

Information, statistics, quotations courtesy of 5/15/2024 7 p.m. “Cavaliers vs Celtics,” Game 5 2024 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google Pixel, East Semifinals on TNT, presented by Wingstop With Spero Dedes, Greg Anthony, Stephanie Ready; 5/15/2024 1 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter” from Los Angeles, CA With Linda Cohn, Stan Verrett; 5/20/2024 www.nba.com story, “East Finals Preview: What To Expect In Celtics-Pacers Series,” By Steve Aschburner and John Schuhmann;  https://www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/ind/indiana-pacers; https://www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/bos/boston-celtics; https://www.landofbasketball.com/head_to_head_gl/celtics_vs_pacers_game_log_pl.htm; https://www.espn.com/nba/matchup/_/gameid/401655100; https://www.espn.com/nba/matchup/_/gameid/401658225; https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2024-nba-eastern-conference-first-round-heat-vs-celtics.html; https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2024-nba-eastern-conference-semifinals-cavaliers-vs-celtics.html; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/splits/_/id/4396993/tyrese-haliburton; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/splits/_/id/4065648/jayson-tatum; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3149673/pascal-siakam; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/4278355/obu-toppin; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/313628/myles-turner; https://www.espn.com/nba/matchup/_/gameid/401607491. 

J-Speaks; 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals Preview: Celtics Versus Cavaliers

 

(1)   Boston Celtics versus (4) Cleveland Cavaliers
         (64-18)                                 (48-34)

Season Series: Celtics Won 2-1
Playoff History: BOS def CLE 4-2 1976 Eastern Conference Finals
                            BOS def CLE 3-1 1985 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
                            CLE def BOS 4-3 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals
                            BOS def CLE 4-3 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals
                            BOS def CLE 4-2 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals
                            CLE def BOS 4-0 2015 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
                            CLE def BOS 4-1 2017 Eastern Conference Finals
                            CLE def BOS 4-3 2018 Eastern Conference Finals

In order to reach the mountain top of any sport, which is winning that respective sport’s championship, you more often than not have to go through a certain opponent in order to get there. That has certainly been the case when the boys from “Beantown,” who have 17 NBA titles to their credit, tied with the arch-rivals from “Hollywood” for the most in NBA history and the boys from “The Land,” whose lone NBA title came in spring of 2016. The two squads face off again with the boys from “Beantown,” trying to get one step closer to competing for championship banner No. 18, while the boys from “The Land” are trying to build on winning their first postseason series without a certain four-time Kia MVP on the roster in nearly three decades.

For the Boston Celtics, they entered the 2024 NBA Playoffs as the prohibitive favorite to win it all based on their league-leading 64 wins and how they dominated not just the Eastern Conference but the entire National Basketball Association (NBA).

While they got a scare in Game 2 of their opening-round series against the No. 8 Seeded Miami Heat, falling 111-101 Apr. 24, 2024 (TNT) after winning Game 1 in 114-94 (ABC) three days earlier, the Celtics dominated the Heat the next three games, winning by 20 (104-84) Apr. 27, 2024 (TNT) and by 14 (102-88) Apr. 29, 2024 (TNT) in Games 3 and 4 on the Heat’s home turf. They closed the door on the Heat’s season with a 118-84 triumph to start May (TNT).

Headlining head coach Joe Mazzulla’s squad is the perennial All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who were magnificent in the opening-round versus the Heat, who crushed their championship dreams in the 2023 East Finals in seven games, where they dropped the first three games of the series, including the first two at home.

Tatum in the First-Round versus the Heat, registered a double-double in four of the five games, averaging 21.8 points and 10.4 rebounds with 5.4 assists, overcoming a rough shooting series, connecting on 41.6 percent from the field and just 29 percent from three-point range.

Brown was solid leading the Celtics in scoring versus the Heat with 22.8 points and seven boards on 52.2 percent from the floor but just 32.2 percent from three.

One Celtic that really emerged in the First-Round versus the Heat was six-year pro Derrick White, who went from averaging career-highs of 15.2 points on 46.1 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from three in the regular season to averaging 22.4 points on 57.7 percent from the floor and 47.7 percent from three.

White was especially remarkable the final two games of the opening-round where he scored an overall career-high of 38 points with three block shots on 15/26 from the field and 8/15 from three. White’s eight threes made in Game 4 not only tied a career-best in any game, it tied the second most in a Playoff game in Celtics history. 

The former San Antonio Spur scored 16 points on 6/8 from the field, including 4/5 from three in the opening period and had 22 points on 8/13 shooting and 6/9 from three in the opening half.

Most Points Without A Free Throw Attempt In Single-Game NBA Postseason History
Chuck Person (1991) 39 Points W/Pacers
Derrick White (2024) 38 Points W/Celtics
Russell Westbrook (2023) 37 Points W/Clippers
Lou Hudson (1970) 36 Points W/St. Louis Hawks

White followed up that performance scoring 25 points with five boards on 8/13 shooting, including 5/10 from three. His 13 total triples made in Games 4 and 5, the most in a two-game span in the storied franchise postseason history of the Celtics.

The Celtics took two of the three regular season tilts between them and the Cavaliers, winning both contests of a two-game set in Boston Dec. 12, 2023 (120-113) and Dec. 14, 2023 (116-107) respectively.

In the first tilt, the Celtics overcame a 15-point deficit for the victory, going 26/26 at the charity stripe.

The second win of the two-game set came behind the solid performance by Tatum who scored 25 points with 11 rebounds and a season-high three blocks. Brown chipped in with 22 points, five boards and two steals on 10/20 shooting.

Tatum versus the Cavs during the regular season averaged 26 points and 11.3 rebounds despite shooting just 38.7 percent from the field but 35.7 percent from three.

The Celtics will enter this series short-handed as starting center Kristaps Porzingis, who injured his right calf in the Game 4 victory and likely is out for this series.

That takes away not only the Celtics best low-post threat who can also stretch the floor with his three-point shooting. He averaged 12.3 points, five rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in four games played in the First-Round against the Heat on 40 percent from three.

“It’s something, not nothing, so it will take a little bit of time, for sure,” Porzingis said of is calf injury. “But I’m doing everything I can to speed it up because I want to be back out there as soon as possible. But understanding, like, the worst thing would be probably to reaggravate that. So being smart.”

“You would have to ask the medical people about the specifics of it. I’m kind of just following the plan. But I’m hoping for a return as soon as I start to get better.”

Not having Porzingis though is something the Celtics had to navigate during the regular season.

Celtics In    W/Porzingis                      W/O Porzingis
2023-24          43-14            Record            21-4
                        120.1             PPG              121.6
                        109.1          Opp PPG         109.4
                        49%               FG%             48%
                        38%              3-Pt.%           40%

Overall, the Celtics counting the Game 5 win versus the Heat are 22-4 without Porzingis on the season, including 10-3 against teams that made the 2024 Playoffs.

Patrolling the paint for the Celtics in the absence of Porzingis will be veteran big man Al Horford, Luke Kornet, and Xavier Tillman, who have proven more than capable of manning the paint, especially Horford.

Dating back to the regular season, the Celtics went 27-7 when Horford has started (26-7 mark in the regular season), which includes a 15-1 mark in the last 16 times Horford has started.

While protecting the paint will be important for the Celtics, what will be even more important will be mixing up their offensive attack from shooting from three and attacking the basket.

During the regular season, the Celtics outscored their opponents by a league-high 10.7 points from three-point range. In the opening-round against the Heat, the Celtics outscored the boys from “South Beach” by a plus-11.4. 

In Game 1 versus the Heat, the Celtics made a single-game franchise Playoff record 22 threes, going 22/49 on their triple tries. In the Game 2 loss when they scored just 40 points in the second half, the Celtics shot just 12/32 on their triples, while the Heat made a franchise single-game Playoff record 23 triples, going 23/43 from three.

That means Tatum and Brown along with White, Jrue Holiday, Sam Hauser, and Payton Pritchard will have to make sure they mix it up offensively from shooting from three and getting to the foul line through post ups or attacking the basket.

For the Cavaliers, this postseason has already been a success by earning their first postseason series win since 2018, the last of the second stint of now four-time Kia MVP LeBron James when they took down the No. 5 Seeded Orlando Magic in seven games.

That First-Round series victory also represented the first without James on the roster since 1993, where they took down the then New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets in five games. It was also their first in a best-of-seven series without James on the roster since they defeated ironically enough the Celtics in the 1992 East Semis. The Cavs led by then All-Stars Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance, Sr. and then reserve in the late John "Hot Rod" Williams in seven games, ending the Hall of Fame career of three-time NBA champion Larry Bird. 

Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s team last season, after winning 51 games in 2022-23, lost in embarrassing fashion in the opening-round versus the New York Knicks 4-1.

It took the Cavs as mentioned seven games to defeat the Magic in the First-Round, where all four of their victories in the best-of-seven series came in the comfy confides of Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

“I mean, this is always, you know, definitely a special moment, you know for this group in particular whose been through so much this year,” Coach Bickerstaff said of his team’s series win over the Magic, which also was their fourth straight Game 7 victory dating back to 2018.

“A group whose been, you know, left for dead multiple times by a lot of people this year. You know for them to come together in this moment and figure it out. It’s more about the group than it is, you know, me. And I think we’re most proud of that. But you know we’re not done. We’ve got a ways to go.”

Leading the Cavs into the Second-Round for the first time in six seasons was their perennial All-Star headliner Donovan Mitchell, who in the Game 7 series clinching victory (106-94) on Sunday afternoon scored 39 points with nine rebounds and five assists on 11/27 from the field and 15/17 at the foul line.

He overcame a rough shooting first half going 3/13 from the floor, including 0/5 from three scoring 15 points on 9/10 at the foul line.   

That performance was on the heels of 50 points on 22/36 from the field in the Game 6 loss at the Magic (103-96) on Friday night (ESPN). Mitchell was the only Cavs player to score in the final 14 minutes of Game 6 scoring the final 22 points, including all 18 of the team’s points in the fourth quarter.

To put this into clearer context, Mitchell was 7/13 from the field in the final period. The rest of the team was 0/6 from the field with six turnovers.

Things did not look good for the Cavs in Game 7 as they trailed by as many as 18 in the first half of Game 7. The Cavs used a 12-4 run to close within 53-43 at the half and outscored the Magic 63-41 in the second half, where they led by as many as 14.

Mitchell starting backcourt teammate Darius Garland, who had 21 points with seven assists on 10/17 shooting in Game 6 overcame a two-point effort on 1/9 shooting the first three quarters on Sunday scored 10 points on 5/6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Caris LeVert, who struggled for much of the opening-round against the Magic scored 15 with five boards off the bench. Max Strus scored 13, hitting 3/6 from three.

“We showed a lot of fight,” LeVert after the Game 7 victory. “We showed what we’ve been showing all year long. We just kept fighting.”

“We’ve been there several times this year, not just games, but just as a unit. We’ve been banged up. We’ve been injured. But we got a next-man-up mentality and we just never quit.”  

Evan Mobley had a strong double-double in the Game 7 win with 11 points and 16 rebounds with five block shots.

In the Cavs loan victory over the Celtics during the regular season (105-104) Mar. 5, 2024 (TNT), they overcame a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Celtics 34-17 in the final period.

Mitchell, who was on the shelf that night because of a knee injury, and Mobley was lost in the third quarter because of an ankle sprain, reserve Dean Wade led the way with 23 points off the bench with eight boards on 8/11 shooting, including 6/9 from three. He scored 20 of those 23 points in the fourth quarter.

Garland, despite going 6/20 from the floor in that victory, had a double-double with 16 points and 11 assists, including going 3/8 from three. LeVert added 10 points with five assists and three steals off the bench in the victory.

For the Cavs to have a chance of pulling off the upset over the mighty Celtics, they will need Mitchell, who has scored at least 30 points in 23 out of his 51 career Playoff games to not only score at an efficient level but facilitate for his teammates.

Mitchell’s 23 games scoring at least 30 in his postseason career is one shy of Tatum (24 out of 99 career Playoff games) for No. 9 amongst active players.

In the two-game set in “Beantown,” where the Cavs went 0-2 as previously mentioned, Mitchell averaged 30 points with 7.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists on 50 percent from the floor, but just 33.3 percent from three.   

While Mitchell averaged 28.7 points with five rebounds and 4.4 assists in the First-Round versus the Magic on 45.5 percent shooting, he only shot 25 percent on his triple tries. He made up for that by getting to the foul line 7.3 times and shot 82.4 percent on those attempts.

“You know, we can be better,” Mitchell said after the Game 7 victory over the Magic. “I hate to be that guy. But like, you know, this was great. This was phenomenal. A great win. Great series. Great test for us mentally, physically but, you know, we can and we will have to be better to beat Boston. No disrespect to Orlando because they’re a phenomenal team with a lot of great guys. But you know, I feel like this was just big for us as a group. But we really don’t have time to celebrate.”

He did close the series in style totaling 89 points, the second most in Game 6 and 7 of a best-of-seven series in NBA Playoff History. Mitchell in last two games of the series versus the Magic shot 33/63 from the field but was just 5/17 from three-point range.

Being efficient with his offense and facilitating for his teammates will be important for Mitchell and the Cavs because the Celtics will be throwing a plethora of defenders from perennial All-Defensive selection in Holiday, White, Brown, and even Tatum at times.

“This is why I’m here. It’s my job,” Mitchell said following the Game 7 win versus the Magic on Sunday. “I don’t mean this as disrespectful, but it doesn't really mean much. We didn’t come in just to win the First-Round. We accomplished one goal, now we have to do it again. That’s the mindset.”

That means Garland, LeVert, Strus, Isaac Okoro, Sam Merrill, and Georges Niang will have to be efficient from the perimeter if they will have any offensive success against an elite defensive team in the Celtics.

Garland, who averaged just 14.9 points and 5.4 assists in the opening-round versus the Magic on 44.9 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three-point range will need to play with the same offensive aggression that he did in the fourth period on Sunday.

Like the Celtics, the Cavs will be without their starting center to start this series I Jarrett Allen, who has been on the shelf the final three games of the opening-round with a rib injury that was reaggravated in Game 4 after taking an elbow from the Magic’s Franz Wagner in the third quarter.

Allen is coming off a career-year in the regular season behind averages of 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds on 63.4 percent shooting (4^th NBA) and followed that up with averages of 17 points and 13.8 boards on 67.6 percent shooting in four games in the First-Round against the Magic.

That puts the spotlight on Mobley, who had his ups-and-downs during the regular season. He has shown over his first three NBA seasons the ability to control the paint on both ends. But he will have to do it at a high level in the Semis against the Celtics. In the opening-round against the Magic, Mobley averaged 12.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and three blocks on 47.9 percent from the field. Those stats will have to rise if the Cavs will have a chance to compete against the Celtics. 

He especially will have to be the Cavs anchor at the defensive end, where they ranked in the Top 10 in points allowed during the regular season and were No. 2 in opponent’s field goal percentage at 42 percent during the regular season.

“We know who we are-a team that’s a contender,” Mitchell said. "We did what we’re supposed to do. In the grand scheme of it all, we just took seven games. So, for us coming into Boston, I’m pretty sure everybody thinks they’re going to com in and kick our ass. We just need to be who we are.”

Yes, they are facing a much healthier team than their opening-round opponent. Yes, they are without their starting man in the middle. But the Celtics still have their star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. A strong supporting cast in Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Sam Hauser, and Payton Pritchard.

The Celtics also have the most important thing going for them, motivation of finally breaking through and winning a title, which they have yet to do only making it to the Finals once (2022) and reaching the East Finals in five of the previous seven seasons.

They have proven to be the best team in the league this season. They have the team to win title No. 18 and it is their time to get the job done. They also have the motivation to play better at home having gone just 14-14 in the postseason at TD Garden over the past two-plus springs. They did go a remarkable 37-4 during the regular season on the home floor. 

The Cavaliers are a good team that has a star player in Donovan Mitchell who has proven on any given night he can light up the scoreboard. The Cavs have proven they can slow down some of the best offenses in the league over the past three seasons.

They have yet to prove they can score at an efficient rate to keep up with the likes of the Celtics. Also, their supporting cast outside of Mitchell, Niang, and Strus, and little used Tristan Thompson has gone this deep into the NBA season.

The Cavs, after flaming out in the opening-round against the Knicks got over the hump of winning a Playoff round for the first time in half-a-dozen springs. But the Celtics have the more balanced squad who as mentioned are on a mission to win their first title since 2008.

Prediction: Celtics in five games.  

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 4/30/2024 1 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter With Scott Van Pelt” from Washington, D.C. With Tim Legler; 4/30/2024 & 5/2/2024 12:30 a.m. “Inside the NBA,” TNT, presented by Kia With Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal; 5/1/2024 7 p.m. “TNT NBA Tip-Off,” presented by Carmax With Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal; 5/2/2024 1 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter” from Los Angeles, CA with Linda Cohn and Stan Verrett; 5/5/2024 9:30 p.m. NBATV’s “Playoff Central Live,” With Lauren Jbara, Steve Smith, and Dennis Scott; 5/5/2024 www.nba.com story, “NBA Playoffs: What To Expect In Celtics-Cavaliers Series,” By John Schuhmann; 5/7/2024 6:30 p.m. "TNT NBA Tip-Off," presented by Carmax With Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Stephanie Ready; http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameid/401588514; https://www.landofbasketball.com/head_to_head_gl/cavaliers_vs_celtics_game_log_pl.htm; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/splits/_/id/4065648; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/splits/_/3908809/donovan-mitchell; https://www.nba.com/game/cle-vs-bos-0042300201; https://www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/cle/cleveland-cavaliers; and https://www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/_/bos/boston-celtics.  

J-Speaks: 2024 East Semifinals Preview: Knicks Versus Pacers

 

(2) New York Knicks versus (6) Indiana Pacers
              (50-32)                                  (47-35)

Season Series: Pacers Won 2-1
Playoff History: NYK def IND  3-1  1993 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
                            NYK def IND  4-3  1994 Eastern Conference Finals
                            IND  def NYK 4-3  1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals
                            IND  def  NYK 4-1 1998 Eastern Conference Semifinals
                            NYK def NYK 4-2 1999 Eastern Conference Finals
                            IND  def NYK 4-2 2000 Eastern Conference Finals
                            IND  def NYK 4-2 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals

Whether it was in the middle or end of the 1990s. The start of the 2000s and the middle of the 2010s, at some point the boys from “Hoosiers” country have faced off against the boys from the “Big Apple.” For both squads in their drive to a championship have had to go through one another. They meet up again where the contrast of styles and those that occupy the lead guard spot will be at the center of this latest tilt between the two squads in the postseason.

While it took one game longer than they had hoped-both the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers shook off disappointing Game 5 setbacks and closed the door on the seasons of their respective opening-round opponents in the No. 7 Seeded Philadelphia 76ers (47-35) and the No. 6 Seeded Milwaukee Bucks (49-33) to setup the eighth postseason series set between the boys from the East coast against the boys from the Midwest.

In their first seven postseason series tilts between the Knicks and Pacers, it was defense, grit, and toughness that took centerstage.

This tilt features the high octane, run-and-gun, find the open-player, sharp-shooting offensive attack of the Pacers led by their lanky, pass-first two-time All-Star floor general, who was head of the snake of a team that led the NBA in scoring at 123.3 points during the regular season.

Tyrese Haliburton, who helped the Pacers win their first Playoff series in a decade was sensational during the regular season where he averaged 20.1 points and a league-leading 10.9 assists on 47.7 percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point range.

In the series against the Bucks, Haliburton like he had during much of the second half of the regular season, particular since he returned from a hamstring injury that shelved him for 10 games, there were times he did not play to the level he did at the start of this season.

While he only averaged just 16 points, 9.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds versus the Bucks on 43.5 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from three, his playmaking and leadership at such a young age of 24 kept head coach Rick Carlisle squad’s offensive attack moving at the high pace. He also when called upon made it happened to get the Pacers over the finish line for the win.

In the Pacers 126-113 overtime win Game 3 versus the Bucks, Haliburton had the fourth triple-double in Pacers Playoff history with 18 points, 16 assists, and 10 rebounds. Despite shooting just 8/22 from the floor, including 1/12 from three-point range, Haliburton hit the go-ahead field goal plus a foul that wound up winning the game for the Pacers with 01.6 seconds left in OT.

In the Game 6 series clinching victory (120-98) on Thursday night (TNT), Haliburton had his third double-double of the series with 17 points and 10 assists, with six boards on 7/16 shooting (2/10 3-Pt.).

“It’s my first time in the Playoffs. It’s a hell of team over there and it’s just exciting to win this one,” Haliburton said to Bally Sports Indiana’s Jeremiah Johnson after the Game 6 victory over the Bucks about winning the team’s first Playoff series since 2014 East Semis over the Washington Wizards in six games, which snapped their five First-Round Playoff series losing streak. “So, we’re going on to Second Round. Be ready to go.”

In the two losses in the opening round to the Bucks, the Pacers registered just 20 and 25 assists respectively in Games 1 and 5. In the Game 1 loss where they young Pacers showed their Playoff opening jitters registered just 94 points (109-94) Apr. 21, 2024 (TNT). In their Game 5 loss (115-92) at the Bucks Apr. 30, 2024 (TNT), the Pacers scored a season-low 92 points, and registered just 25 assists.

To put this into clearer context, the Pacers during the regular season were held under 100 points only once.

In the Pacers four wins, they registered 38 in Game 2 (125-108; TNT); 32 in Game 3 (121-118 OT; ESPN); 33 in Game 4 (126-113; TNT); and 33 in Game 6 series-clincher (128-98; TNT).

It is not surprising because of that high-level of offensive execution that the Pacers registered 120-plus points in their four wins against the Bucks in the opening-round.

That high level of scoring goes beyond the playmaking of Haliburton but because of the incredible depth the Pacers have from the other four starters behind Haliburton and the best scoring bench in the NBA during the 2023-24 season. 

Siakam, who the Pacers acquired in the middle of January from the Raptors, who helped win the 2019 title, started the opening-round in grand fashion averaging 36.5 points and 12 rebounds with four assists on 65 percent from the field and 50 three-point percentage (4/8 3-Pt.). He came back down to Earth in Games 3-5 averaging just 14 points, 7.3 boards with four assists on 42 percent from the floor and connecting on just 1 of his 11 triple tries.

Siakam was solid in the Game 6 triumph over the Bucks with 19 points and seven rebounds.

Turner battled four-trouble in Game 6 and registered just five points with five boards. In the Pacers’ three wins in the middle of the series, the longest tenured Pacer of nine seasons was a serious presence in the paint and as a shooter. In the Game 2 victory, Turner had 22 points with seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks going 9/15 from the floor and 3/6 from three. In Game 3, Turner scored 29 with nine rebounds on 10/21 from the floor and 4/10 from three (5/6 FTs). He scored another 29 with nine boards and three blocks on 10/17 shooting, including 7/9 from three.

The seven made triples by Turner are the most by a starting center in a Playoff game since two-time Kia MVP of the Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic. Turner also tied single-game franchise record in the postseason with Chuck Person (1991), Hall of Famer and NBA on TNT television color analyst Reggie Miller (1995, 2000), current Los Angeles Clippers perennial All-Star Paul George, and current Knick Bojan Bogdanovic (2018).

While they may be overlooked compared to star teammates and well knowns in Haliburton and Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith have been solid as starters on both ends and made big plays on both ends.

Flanking Haliburton in the starting lineup is veteran Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, Aaron Nesmith, and Andrew Nembhard, who were solid in the opening round versus the Bucks.

Nembhard averaged 13.8 points and 4.7 assists on 59.6 percent from the floor and 45 percent from three-point range. While his shooting was down in the First-Round versus the Bucks (35.1 FG%, 30.8 3-Pt.%), Nesmith averaged 11 points and played solid defense, especially in the Game 6 clincher on Bucks All-Star swingman Khris Middleton, holding him to just 14 points.

Along with a strong starting five, the Pacers have the best scoring bench in the league led by veteran lead guard T.J. McConnell. Former Knick Obi Toppin, and Ben Sheppard.

In the Game 6 clincher versus the Bucks, the Pacers reserves outscored the Bucks bench 50-10. Toppin led the way off the bench scoring a Playoff career-high 21 points on 8/15 shooting, including making three triples with eight boards. McConnell also was great off the pine with Playoff career-highs of 20 points and nine assists with four steals on 7/9 shooting, making both of his triple tries.

Also, in the clincher for the Pacers, Nesmith scored 15 on 3/7 from three. Nembhard scored 14 with two steals.

“Not being in the Playoffs since the bubble and not being able to, you know, advance since 2014, you take great pride in being able to advance and extend our season and play in the Second-Round,” McConnell, who is in his fifth season with the Pacers said in his postgame presser about being able to play in the East Semis.

In their three-games season series against the Knicks where they took two of the three tilts, the Pacers outscored the Knicks by an average of 123.3-115.3.

Haliburton in the season-series against the Knicks averaged 19.3 points and 13.3 assists on 51 percent shooting from the floor.  

In their six-game defeat over the Bucks, the Pacers had an average of 30.7 assists/turnover ratio, the highest for any team in a Playoff series at least in the past three decades. This is on the heels of a record-setting 2.38 assist/turnover ratio, the highest in the 47 seasons where turnovers have been tracked in “The Association.”

Amongst the 20 players that totaled at least 25 assists in the postseason through Thursday’s Playoff action, Siakam (25/3), Nembhard (28/5), McConnell (27/6) and Haliburton (56/16) had the second, fourth, and five highest assist/turnover ratios, respectively.

Valuing the basketball to that level is how the Pacers averaged 2.4 more field goal attempts in the opening-round than the Bucks.

For the series against the Bucks, the Pacers were a plus-7 on the boards (263-256); plus-14 in paint points (276-262); plus-17 in three-pointers made (84-67) plus-10 in points off turnovers (75-65); plus-88 in bench points (184-96) and plus-33 in fastbreak points (71-38).

So far through the First-Round of the 2024 Playoffs, the Pacers lead in assists (30.2) and bench points (30.7). They also ranked No. 2 in scoring (113.0) and made threes (14.0).  

Doing these small things is how the Pacers will give themselves a chance to defeat a Knicks squad that has thrived in these areas during the season and how they advanced past the First-Round over the 76ers.

“We’re a true team. We’re a group that needs each other,” Coach Carlisle said of how his team has been successful this season and will have to continue to be against the Knicks.

The Pacers have their sensational floor general, so do the Knicks in first-time All-Star and fellow top All-NBA candidate in Jalen Brunson, who elevated his game in the regular season despite injuries to teammates like fellow All-Star Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson.

Brunson continued his stellar play in the opening-round against the 76ers where he averaged 35.5 points, nine assists and 4.5 boards. While he struggled with his shot overall at 42.9 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three-point range, Brunson made up for it by shooting 77.8 percent at the foul line on 10.5 attempts.

In the Game 6 clinching victory at the 76ers on Thursday night, Brunson had 41 points with 12 assists going 13/27 from the floor, making three triples and 12/16 at the foul line. It was his third double-double of the series. He registered his fourth straight 30-plus point game, including his third consecutive 40-plus point game, the second longest such streak in Knicks Playoff history. Only Hall of Famer Bernard King had a longer such streak of four straight 40-plus point games set in the 1984 Playoffs.   

“No matter what the situation is, we’re going to attack it,” Brunson said of the upcoming tilt against the Pacers.

If there is anyone that understand the work Brunson put to become the bonified star that he has become is Coach Carlisle of the Pacers and Haliburton, who was Brunson’s teammate for the 2023 Team USA World Cup squad.

Haliburton in speaking with the press over the weekend said he is “excited” to go up against Brunson and Hart, who also was a part of that USA World Cup squad, who have become good friends.

“We talk all the time. Literally, the first call that I had after making the Playoffs was with Jalen. We Facetimed for a while,” Haliburton added. “So, pretty good friends. But you know, it’s competition. Fully excited to play against those guys.”

The feeling is mutual as Bruson said to the press that he has “all the respect in the world,” for Haliburton and how he goes about his business on the hardwood. How he “plays the game the right way.”

Back in 2021 when Coach Carlisle was the sideline leader of the Dallas Mavericks, Brunson was a role player in their First-Round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, who they lost to in seven games after leading the series 3-2.

In that Game 7 setback, which was Coach Carlisle’s final game with the Mavericks, Brunson watched from the sidelines playing just 10 minutes in that Game 7 defeat (126-111), scoring just two points.”

“Jalen Brunson is a guy you would never bet against,” Coach Carlisle said of the former reserve guard, who eventually became a starter in his final season with the Mavericks in 2022. “You just don’t bet against that guy. I don’t know if anybody saw this coming, what he’s achieved for two years now, but if you know him and you know his character, you’re not surprised. You’re not shocked.”    

Besides Brunson, head coach Tom Thibodeau’s team have gotten strong play all season and in the First-Round of 2024 Playoffs from fellow former Villanova Wildcats in Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, along with OG Anunoby, Miles McBride, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Robinson.

Hart in the regular season averaged 9.4 points, and career-highs 8.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists on 43.4 percent from the floor and 31 percent from three. He rose all of his numbers in the opening-round against the 76ers of 16.8 points, 12.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists on 43.2 three-point percentage. He registered four double-doubles in the series, including getting one in the Game 6 clinching 118-115 victory on Thursday (TNT) of 16 points with 14 boards, and seven assists, going 3/5 from three, including the game-ceiling three late in the final period.

Brunson and Hart’s other Villanova teammate in DiVincenzo had a stellar regular season, especially shooting the ball from three-point range, where he set a career-high the single-season franchise record 283 made threes.

DiVincenzo had his ups and downs against the 76ers but showed up in clutch moments. In the Knicks comeback victory (104-101) in Game 2 Apr. 22, 2024, DiVincenzo scored 19 points, going 4/8 from three, including the go-ahead three with 13.1 seconds left in regulation.

While he had his struggles in Games 3-5, going in total 8/28 from the field, including 3/17 from three-point range, DiVincenzo scored a series-high 23 points with seven assists, three block shots and two steals on 8/18 from the field and 5/9 on his triple tries. He began Game 6 going 3/5 from three in the opening period, where the Knicks led by 22 and led 36-22 after the first quarter. They overcame a 10-point deficit in the third period for the close win.

When the Knicks acquired Anunoby at the close of 2023, the began 2024 with a bang as they went 14-2 in January and positioned themselves to be a serious threat in the Eastern Conference.

They lost Anunoby to elbow surgery for two months after that along with Randle due to shoulder injury suffered in late January, that eventually required season-ending surgery.

In the opening-round, Anunoby was solid on both ends averaging 15 points and 6.8 rebounds on 51.3 percent from the field. 

In the Knicks, Game 4 victory (97-92) last Sunday, Apr. 287, 2024 (ABC) at the 76ers, Anunoby had a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds with three blocks. In the Game 6 clincher, Anunoby had a near double-double with 19 points and nine boards with two blocks on 8/17 shooting.

While the Knicks went 20-3 io the regular season with Anunoby in the lineup, the only game he played one game against the Pacers, which was in November 2023 while still with the Raptors. He missed the other two meetings following being dealt to the Knicks.

He figures to log a lot of minutes against former teammate in Siakam and against Haliburton.

This might be the series the Knicks miss having Randle as well as Bojan Bogdanovic, who the Knicks acquired at the Feb. 8 trade deadline from the Pistons. But Bogdanovic will be on the shelf because of a left foot injury suffered in Game 4 that required surgery and ended his postseason.

That means Miles McBride (11.3 ppg, 48.1 FG%, 43.3 3-Pt.%); Hartenstein (10.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 60 FG%), and Robinson (3.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 46.2 FG%) will have to continue their fine play in their respective roles to keep up with the deep Pacers.

This also might be a series where we might possibly see Alec Burks and Precious Achiuwa, who the Knicks acquired respectively from the Pistons and Raptors.

For the Knicks also, it is up to them to keep the tempo slow and dominate the glass, especially on the offensive boards.

In the opening-round against the 76ers, the Knicks averaged 5.9 more field goal attempts because of how they dominated the offensive glass, a jump from a league-best of 3.9 more shot attempts per game during the regular season.

The Knicks were a plus-26 overall on the boards (283-247) and a plus-42 in Second Chance points (115-73); and plus-40 in paint points (258-218) in the First-Round against the 76ers. The Knicks though were a -10 in made threes (81-71).  

In their three-game season-series, the Pacers were a plus-45 in points from three-point range (150-105) and a plus-51 in bench points (130-79), which includes the play of former Knick in Toppin, who was dealt for scraps to the Pacers last summer.

This series will be a contrast of styles where the Pacers want to make this a high-octane scoring race to see if the Knicks can keep up. The Knicks want to make this a crawl where they make the Pacers have to execute on both ends and make them pay if they fail to block out or are impatient offensively. 

The other factor is experience. The Knicks made it to East Semis a season ago and have the focus to get even further this postseason. The Pacers advance past the opening-round for the first time since 2014 and while they did display that this stage is not too big for them when they got to The Finals of the inaugural In-Season Tournament back in December 2023, they showed their inexperience in IST Finals where they were taken down by the eventual IST champions in the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Knicks have not reached the East Finals since 2000. The Pacers have not been to the East championship round since 2013.

Prediction: Knicks in seven games.

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 4/29/2024 12:30 a.m. “Inside the NBA” TNT, presented by Kia With Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal; 5/3/2024 1 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter” from Los Angeles, CA With Linda Cohn and Stan Verrett, and NBA analyst Austin Rivers; 5/3/2024 www.nba.com story, “NBA Playoffs: What To Expect In Knicks-Pacers Series,” By Steve Aschburner and John Schuhmann; 5/6/2024 7p.m. “TNT NBA Tip-Off,” presented by Carmax With Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal; www.nba.com;  https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/4396993/tyrese-haliburton; https://www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/ind/indiana-pacers; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/4396993/tyrese-haliburton; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3133628/myles-turner; http://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3934673/donte-divincenzo; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3934719/og-anunoby; and  https://www.landofbasketball.com/head_to_head_g/knicks_vs_pacers_game_log_pl.htm.