Halfway home.
I moved ten hours away from family for grad school and would often make the drive for the holidays. Scranton was halfway home for me. For the Celtics, it’s right now.
When you are on a long journey, the halfway point is an important step, one that brings a bit of energy and enthusiasm. From here on out, we are closer to our destination than our origin. Eight more wins.
The second to last stop for the Celtics is Indianapolis and the Pacers. I’ll be honest. I was cheating over the last few days and tried to get a jump start on my research for this piece. I did all of it on the Knicks. Whoops. But here are those plucky, young Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs. However, their next opponent ain’t the Knicks or Bucks.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the Pacers top-9 sorted by minutes.
They’ve got a pretty clear pecking order with their top-5 all playing 32+ minutes, their 3 main guys off the bench at 19 and then Isaiah Jackson makes the occasional meaningful cameo (and he gave them some very solid minutes against the Knicks at times).
If you’ve not checked in on old-friend-turned-enemy Aaron Nesmith, he’s worked himself into a hardnosed plus-defender that can hit open threes (43% in the regular season, but has been off in the playoffs) and attack a closeout in his signature psychotic style.
Myles Turner is a solid rim protecting big that can and will shoot threes. He’s shot the lights out in the playoffs and is comfortable putting the ball on the deck once or twice and finishing. He’s a positive rim protector, but slow-footed defender, which we will get to later.
Andrew Nembhard is a smart, effective off-guard that can run a pick and roll, make an open 3, and pick out a pass. He works on defense and knows the scheme, but his slight frame can let him down at times.
Ben Sheppard is a one-dimensional shooter that’s held up better than expected on the defensive end but can definitely be attacked. Obi Toppin is high-flyer that injects athleticism and pace into the Pacers attack.
TJ McConnell is TJ McConnell. Does all the things you absolutely love when he’s on your team, and absolutely hate when he’s not. He doesn’t stop moving, he’s pesky as hell on defense, and he makes middies at a frustrating rate. He will have a big moment in this series. We will all be annoyed.
Tyrese Haliburton is obviously the marquee name,…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CelticsBlog – All Posts…