It’s easy to dismiss the Indiana Pacers. A sweep is a sweep until it isn’t.
Before the playoffs started, I was texting with a friend of mine (a Knicks fan) about matchups and predictions for the postseason. 1) He nailed the Kristaps Porzingis injury against the Heat, but 2) I mentioned not wanting to face the Pacers.
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During the regular season, Boston took the series 3-2, a substantial sample size that included blowouts for both teams, questionable officiating, and an In-Season Tournament matchup. The Celtics and Pacers finished #1 and #2 respectively in (all-time) offensive efficiency and nearly every game felt like it could have gone either way — a precursor to what the Eastern Conference Finals would look like.