After Sunday’s pair of Game 7s, we’re down to the final four in the NBA Playoffs!
The Pacers went into Madison Square Garden and beat the Knicks for the first road win of that series. Their reward for their Game 7 win is a date with the East’s top seed. The Boston Celtics are coming off a pair of 4-1 series wins against a couple of shorthanded teams in the Heat and Cavs. Will the Pacers present a tougher challenge?
Eastern Conference Finals Schedule
NBA Playoffs & Eastern Conference Finals Odds
NBA Championship Odds
NBA Finals Outcome Odds
Eastern Conference Finals Odds
Series Leader Total Points
Numbers to Know
Each Team’s X-Factor
Celtics: Getting Kristaps Porzingis back. Boston was able to get by Cleveland without their starting center just fine. Part of that was because Jarrett Allen missed time for Cleveland. Boston is still the favorite, and they can probably get through this series without Porzingis, but he’s a big part of what they do on both sides of the floor. Getting him back to help get their offense into a little bit more of a flow will be important for this series, but also the Finals if they get there. Porzings is likely out for Games 1 & 2 but is expected back later in the series.
Pacers: Come Up Clutch. Boston really hasn’t been tested much, if at all this postseason. Sure there have been a few games that have been close in the fourth, but for the most part, neither of their series were ever really in doubt. Indiana is going to have to score a ton of points, but they’ll also have to convert on Boston in clutch situations. They’ve had no shortage of those thus far through their opening series with the Bucks and Knicks, so they’ll be the fresher team in those situations.
Prediction: Boston in 6. I do think Indiana will make this a series, especially early with Porzingis on the sidelines. In the early going, I think the battle-tested Pacers will benefit from two tough, hard-fought series, but Boston will eventually prove to be the significantly fresher team.
written by
Matt Rooney
Matt is from the Chicagoland area and has been working in Chicago sports since 2015 with stops at WGN Radio, the Chicago Blackhawks, Stadium, and NBC Sports Chicago prior to landing at Betsperts. Matt covers just about everything for Betsperts and Bleacher Nation but focuses on the NHL and college football.
