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The Pacers and Celtics start their first-round playoff series in Boston on Sunday afternoon.
The Celtics closed the regular season by winning six of their last eight games, including a pair of wins over the Pacers. The second win, was a 117-97 drubbing of the Pacers at the Fieldhouse.
In hindsight, that beating may not have been so bad.
For one, it put a solid game by the Celtics and in particular, Gordon Hayward on tape available for adjustments. Plus, this time around, the Pacers will have Darren Collison available to give the Pacers a fully healthy playing rotation. As for the C’s, they will be down Marcus Smart whose defense and toughness is always a problem — just ask Bojan Bogdanovic.
While Hayward may be an X-factor off the bench for the Celtics, Kyrie Irving is the best player on the floor and if the Pacers can find a way to make anyone else beat them they should have a chance to win the game down the stretch.
Game Information:
Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA
When: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: TNT/FOX Sports Indiana
Radio: 107.5 FM/AM 1070 The Fan
Projected Starting Lineups:
Pacers: Darren Collison, Wesley Matthews, Bojan Bogdanovic, Thaddeus Young, Myles Turner
Celtics: Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Aron Baynes
Injury update:
IND: Victor Oladipo (right knee) - out
BOS: Marcus Smart (Oblique) - out
Please leave your thoughts and observations on the game in the comments.