The Eastern Conference Finals is set after the Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, joining the Boston Celtics as the final two teams standing in the East.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics finished the NBA regular season as the No. 1 seed with a 64-18 record, the best record in the NBA. Boston has been led by their star guard/forward duo, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who not only helped Boston Capture the No. 1 seed in the East but blow by the No. 8 Miami Heat and the No. 4 Clevland Cavaliers in the postseason. The Celtics only dropped one game in each series, improving their playoff record to 8-2, the best record out of the four teams remaining in the conference finals.
The Celtics took care of business en route to their third straight Eastern Conference Finals ☘️
— NBA (@NBA) May 20, 2024
Get an in-depth look at Boston's path through Cleveland in the latest #ChasingHistory before IND-BOS tips tomorrow at 8pm/et on ESPN!
📲: https://t.co/FSdGUZILgP pic.twitter.com/v6BoCdOvya
Tatum has had another all-star year, averaging 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists a game on 47.7% field goal percentage. In the postseason, his statistics have improved to 24.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in the ten games Boston has played, leading the Celtics’ offense in points, rebounds, and assists throughout the postseason. The latter of the Celtics one-two punch is forward Jaylen Brown, who has averaged 23 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in the 2023-2024 NBA season.
An Eastern Conference Finals appearance has become a regularity for Tatum, who has reached his conference finals for the fifth time in his seven-year career and the third straight season in 2024. However, Tatum and the Celtics have only emerged victorious once in 2022, when they defeated the Miami Heat to advance to Tatum’s only NBA Finals appearance against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Tatum looks to return to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years and capture his first NBA Title and the Celtics' first title since 2008.
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers have been the underdog in the East, knicking off the No. 3 seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the opening round of the playoffs and capturing four out of the last five games, including a 130-109 Game 7 victory over the No. 2 seeded New York Knicks. The Pacers hope to continue their miraculous run and knock off the No. 1 seed in the East, the Boston Celtics, to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 and the second time in franchise history.
how's that for a headline 😮💨
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 19, 2024
Eastern Conference Finals bound. pic.twitter.com/Tmu7bqSonP
Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton has been one of the main reasons the Pacers have seen success this season, recording 20.1 points, 10.9 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game, leading the NBA in assists per game. While Haliburton's scoring average is in the low 20s, he has set a playoff career-high in back-to-back games against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, scoring 34 points in the Pacers Game 2 loss, and topping that with 35 points in the Pacers’ Game 3 victory, which dug Indiana out of a two-game deficit. This will be Haliburton’s first conference finals appearance in his fourth year in the NBA
The Boston Celtics will host Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on Tuesday, May 21, at 8:00 p.m. EST. Both teams will begin their battle for the true No. 1 seed in the East and hope for an NBA Finals appearance.
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