Indiana
Boston Celtics (2-0) at Indiana Pacers (0-2) Eastern Conference Finals Game #3 5/25/24
As the series moves to Indiana, the Celtics look to take a commending 3-0 lead in the series. The Pacers stayed with the Celtics throughout the first game and it was only due to their miscues and lack of poise at the end of regulation and in OT that the Celtics were able to pull out the win. They hung with the Celtics at the start of Game 2 but in the end, the Celtics were able to pull away for a comfortable win.
The Celtics are 10-2 in the playoffs so far. Their 2 losses were at home in Game 2 in both of the first two rounds. They are 4-0 on the road in the playoffs so far, winning Games 3 and 4 on the road in both Miami and Cleveland. The Pacers, on the other hand are 6-0 at home in the playoffs so far. They have also won 11 straight home games going back to March 18. The Celtics are going to need to come in focused and ready to play hard in order to get a win on the Pacers home court.
Game 3 in any series is important. Teams that win the first two games of a best-of-seven series at home go on to win the series 94.0% of the time. Teams that lead a best-of-seven series 2-1 go on to win the series 79.8% of the time. However, teams that win the first three games of a best-of-seven series go on to win the series 100% of the time. No team has ever come back from being down 0-3 and so if the Celtics can win Game 3, they can pretty much guarantee themselves a trip to the Finals.
This is the Celtics 6th appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in 8 years. It is also their 3rd straight Eastern Conference Finals appearance. The Pacers have not been in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2014 when they lost in 6 games to the Heat. The Pacers last appearance in the playoffs was in 2018-19 when they were swept by the Celtics in the first round. The Celtics won 4 of the 6 series between these two teams so far and all of them were in the first round.
Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out for this game. He is still dealing with a calf injury that he suffered in Game 4 of Boston’s first-round series against the Heat. The Celtics are being cautious with him but are hoping to get him back for Game 4 of this series. However, he hasn’t practiced with the team as yet so it’s only rumor as of now. He did travel with the team to Indiana, however. Jrue Holiday was a late addition to the injury list as questionable with a non-covid illness. I’m not sure who Mazzulla would start if Jrue can’t go but it may be Payton Pritchard or maybe Oshae Brissett.
Luke Kornet suffered a sprained left wrist in the first quarter of Thursday’s game and is doubtful for this game. With Porzingis out and trying to keep Horford’s minutes low, this leaves the Celtics short handed at center. When Kornet went out in Game 2, Joe Mazzulla chose to go small and brought in Oshae Brissett for his first meaningful playoff minutes. By going small, the Celtics rotated quicker and were able to keep pace better with the Pacers. The Celtics may go small again or may give Xavier Tillman some time at center as well.
For the Pacers, Benedict Mathurin remains out after undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum. With just under three minutes left in the third quarter of Game 2 on Thursday, Tyrese Haliburton left the game and limped to the locker room. He was ruled out for the rest of the game with a hamstring injury. He injured the same hamstring on 1/8 and missed 10 of the next 11 games. Indiana went 6-4 without him. He is listed as questionable for this game. I’m going to guess that they will keep him out of this game and that TJ McConnell with get the start in his place.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Jordan Walsh
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman
Neemias Queta
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Injuries/Out
Kristaps Porzingis (calf) out
Luke Kornet (wrist) doubtful
Jrue Holiday (illness) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Pacers Starters
(As of now, Haliburton is questionable with a sore hamstring. Since this is a recurring injury I’m guessing that he will be out. But, as of now, he is just questionable and McConnell starting is just a guess.)
Pacers Reserves
Isaiah Jackson
Quenton Jackson
James Johnson
Doug McDermott
Ben Sheppard
Jalen Smith
Obi Toppin
Jarace Walker
Two Way Players
Kendall Brown
Oscar Tshiebwe
Isaiah Wong
Injuries/Out
Benedict Mathurin (shoulder) out
Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) questionable
Head Coach
Rick Carlisle
Key Matchups
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Jayson Tatum
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
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Pascal Siakam
Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images
Jayson Tatum vs Pascal Siakam
Siakam finished Game 1 with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal while shooting 52.2% from the field and was 0-2 from beyond the arc. He finished Game 2 with 28 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 76.5% from the field and was 2-2 on three pointers. Tatum has struggled early in both games so far but thankfully his teammates were able to come up big until he was able to contribute later in the game. The Celtics need more from him on both ends of the court throughout the game in this one.
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Al Horford
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
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Myles Turner
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Al Horford vs Myles Turner
Turner finished Game 1 with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks while shooting 69.2% from the field and 75% from beyond the arc. He struggled somewhat in Game 2 with 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal while shooting 42.9% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. The Celtics have to be aware of his presence in the paint as he is a good rim protector and also a good rebounder. They also have to stay with him on the perimeter as he has been shooting very well from beyond the arc. With the Celtics trying to limit Horford’s minutes and Kornet likely to be out, we may see some Xavier Tillman at center or we may see more small ball with Brissett getting more minutes.
Honorable Mention
Derrick White vs Andrew Nembhard
Ordinarily, this would be the Holiday/Haliburton matchup, but with Haliburton out, or not 100%, this would be a key with Nembhard looking to pick up his game to make up for Haliburton being injured. In Game 1, Nembhard finished with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists while shooting 50% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. In Game 2, he finished with 16 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 50% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. In Game 2, White came alive offensively, after struggling for a couple of games. He finished with 23 points, including 4 threes. The Celtics need more of that from him in this game.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is the key to winning every single game and especially against the Pacers as they lead the playoffs with 121.0 offensive rating. The Celtics are 2nd in the playoffs with a 120.1 offensive rating. The Celtics are 3rd in the playoffs with a defensive rating of 108.1. The Pacers are 13th with a defensive rating of 119.1. The Celtics need to make defense their identity and their priority. In Game 1, the Pacers shot 53.3% from the field and 37.1% from beyond the arc. In Game 2, the Pacers shot 52.4% from the field and 37.9% from beyond the arc. The Celtics have to step up their defense in this series as they likely won’t win a shoot out against the high scoring Pacers. The Celtics must defend them both in the paint and on the perimeter. Defense down the stretch helped to pull out Game 1 and defense allowed the Celtics to pull away in Game 2. Defense will determine the winner of this series. The Celtics need to play lock down defense for 48 minutes and not just in spurts.
Rebound – The Celtics are 3rd in the playoffs, pulling down 44.3 rebounds per game. The Pacers are12th with 40.9 rebounds per game. In Game 1, the Pacers out-rebounded the Celtics 44-43, and the Celtics almost lost the game. In Game 2, the Celtics out-rebounded the Pacers 40-37. Much of rebounding is desire and effort and the Celtics have got to put out more effort on the boards than the Pacers if they want to get a win in this game. Other than Game 1, the Celtics have won every game in the playoffs that they have out rebounded their opponent and they have lost the 2 games where they were out-rebounded. As with defense, rebounding will be key to winning this game
Bench Play – The Celtics need to get help from their reserves. The Celtics bench loses a lot with Al Horford moving into the starting lineup and will take another hit with Luke Kornet’s injury. In their first 2 rounds, the Pacers reserves averaged 32 points or more per game. TJ McConnell, who is a problem off the bench as he is a pesky defender and brings a lot of energy to the Pacers may need to start with Haliburton questionable for this game. In Game 1, the Pacers got 30 points off their bench while the Celtics got just 13 points from theirs. In game 2, the Celtics got 19 points from their reserves while the Pacers got 39 points from their reserves. The Celtics need for their reserves to score and to defend well to take some of the pressure off the starters.
Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes – The Celtics have to play every minute with extra effort. The Pacers play hard and fast and so the Celtics need to match that effort and play even harder. The team that plays harder and is more aggressive is usually the team that comes out on top and that also gets the better whistle. The Celtics also have to stay focused. They have to focus on taking good shots and making them and on playing as a team and making the right play every time. They also have to keep that effort and focus up for 48 minutes with no let up and no collapse, especially on defense.
Move the Ball – The Celtics are tough to beat when they keep the ball moving and they make the extra pass to find the best shot. They struggle when they lapse into iso ball and when players hold the ball too long. The Pacers move the ball very well and are 1st in the playoffs, averaging 30.1 assists per game. They racked up 38 assists on 53 field goals in Game 1. In Game 2, they had just 23 assists while the Celtics had 28 assists. The Celtics have to keep the ball moving and avoid lapsing into iso ball and over dribbling the ball.
X-Factors
On The Road – The Celtics are on the road for the first time in this series. The Pacers are 6-0 at home in the playoffs so far and the Celtics are 4-0 on the road. During the regular season, the Celtics were 27-14 on the road while the Pacers were 26-15 at home. The Celtics can’t allow the distractions of travel and a hostile crowd to take away from their focus on the game.
Injuries – Injuries may come into play in this series with Porzingis remaining out and now Luke Kornet being doubtful. That will make the Celtics short handed at center and so it will be next man up, whether Xavier Tillman gets minutes at center or possibly we will see more of Oshae Brissett in this one again. For the Pacers, if Tyrese Haliburton is out with the hamstring injury, it will affect the Pacers offense. However, it may help their defense somewhat since the Celtics were constantly targeting Haliburton’s defense in Game 2.
Officiating -Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game a little differently with some calling it tight and others letting them play. They seem to be letting them play more in these playoffs so far, but that could change with any given crew and any given game. In Game 1, the Celtics shot 30 free throws to just 10 for the Pacers. In Game 2, the Celtics took 20 free throws to 16 for the Pacers. The Celtics have to adjust to how the game is being called and focus on the game and not on the officials.
Official Report
Crew Chief – Marc Davis – Davis has a home win/loss record of 41-34 this season. He calls 51% of fouls on the road team and 49% on the home team. Boston is 7-3 in their last 10 games with Davis as the crew chief, including the May 1 win over Miami in the first round and May 13 win over Cleveland in Game 5. Indiana is 6-4 in their last 10 with Davis, including Game 2 loss and the Game 7 win in New York. Davis was voted the third worst referee in the league in a poll of the players, behind Scott Foster and Tony Brothers. Comments from players say he is arrogant and will sometime instigate things. He wasn’t bad in Game 5 against the Heat or Game 4 against the Cavs.
Referee – John Goble – Goble has a home win/loss record of 22-13. He calls 43% of fouls against the road team and 57% on the home team. The Celtics are 7-3 in their last 10 games with Goble including the Game 2 loss to the Cavs and the game 4 win over Miami. The Pacers are 8-2 in their last 10 games with Goble including Game 2 win over the Bucks and Game 4 win over the Knicks. Goble also called one win and one loss against Indiana in the regular season.
Umpire – Courtney Kirkland – Kirkland has a home win/loss record of 30-33 this season. In the playoffs, he calls 47% of fouls on the road team and 53% on the home team. The Celtics are 8-2 in their last 10 games with Kirkland on the crew, including Game 4 at Miami in Round 1 and Game 4 against Cleveland. Indiana is 4-6 in their last 10 with Kirkland, including Game 6 win over the Bucks. 2 years ago during the ECF between Boston and Miami, Kirkland was the replay official in Secaucus who said Max Strus was out of bounds on a key 3 in Game 7. He was not bad in the previous games in these playoffs.
And make sure to check out CelticsBlog’s Playback stream for a live conversation about the game. To participate, just create a free account, connect your LP sub if you have it, and join our community.
Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football (family reunions sold separately in Missoula, where Montana Grizzlies linebacker Cooper Barnum celebrated Senior Day by beating his father, Bruce, who is the head coach of the Portland State Vikings). First Quarter: Paths to the Playoff. Second Quarter: Winning the Staffing Battle. Third Quarter: Conference Coaches of the Year.
These are the best of times, ever, for the Indiana Hoosiers (31). The eternal Big Ten doormat is 10–0 for the first time ever, playing November games of unprecedented wattage, trying to go where no IU team has ever gone before—to the College Football Playoff. They have a 63-year-old coach who just this year has gotten his first shot at a high-major job, and has crushed it. This is the feel-good story of the 2024 season.
Unless, of course, that story is the Army Black Knights (32). They’re 9–0 and ranked No. 16 in the AP poll, their highest ranking since 1962. The absolute antithesis of all things modern college football—the transfer portal, NIL deals, spread-and-throw offense—they are succeeding anyway. There is no conventional reason why they should be able to compete in 2024, yet here they are. They are the ultimate counterprogramming: an old-school option coach is leading a collection of lightly recruited players who are destined to go pro in military service after graduation.
These two unbelievable seasons are on parallel tracks. Nobody saw it coming, but nobody can objectively deny their week-to-week dominance. Indiana has trailed just twice all season, both in the first half, while winning every game but one by at least two touchdowns. Army has trailed just once all season, briefly in the first half, and has won every game by double digits. Yet both have been doubted and dismissed for allegedly not having played anybody.
Well, here come the somebodies. Two Goliath programs now stand in David’s path. For these dream seasons to maintain course, they must defeat dream killers Saturday.
The No. 2-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (33) and their $20 million roster loom in front of Indiana, with more than 100,000 fans arrayed in their Death Star stadium to inflict discomfort upon the Hoosiers. The two Big Ten programs have played 97 times and Indiana has won just 12, the last coming in 1988. Since then the series is a one-way, scarlet-and-gray speedway: 30–0–1 in favor of the Buckeyes, most of them blowouts. Ohio State is favored by 13 this time, per DraftKings.
Meanwhile, the No. 6-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (34) threaten to do the most un-patriotic thing by derailing Army’s perfect season. They already bounced Navy from the unbeaten ranks last month, and now take aim at another service academy. The Irish are history’s most glam program, with a worldwide following and their own network and Most Favored Nation in a power conference they don’t even have to join as a football member. And while they haven’t played Army often in recent years, they have dominated the series (39–8–4 all-time). The Irish haven’t lost to the Black Knights since 1958, winning 15 in a row, just one of those by less than two touchdowns. Notre Dame is favored by 14, per DraftKings.
You could hardly assign two bigger overdogs the job of ruining good underdog stories.
The Notre Dame-Army game is also freighted with incredible locational history. The game is being played in New York, where lore and legend were spawned when the two teams have met.
This is the 100th anniversary of the “Four Horsemen” game, played Oct. 18, 1924, at the Polo Grounds. Notre Dame defeated Army 13–7, an outcome that moved famed sports writer Grantland Rice to author the most famous lede in the history of his college football chronicling:
“Outlined against a blue-gray October sky the Four Horsemen (35) rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below.”
Never a place to miss a publicity opportunity, Notre Dame got the four players memorialized by Rice—Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley and Elmer Layden—on horseback for a soon-to-be iconic photo. Coached by Knute Rockne, the Irish were becoming a national sensation in the 1920s. That game helped finish the job—the Irish went 10–0 and won the Rose Bowl, their first-ever bowl game, and later were awarded several retroactive national championships.
Four years later, trailing favored Army at halftime in Yankee Stadium, Rockne delivered his famed “Win one for The Gipper (36)” halftime speech. Rockne urged his team to honor the memory of the late Irish star George Gipp—invoking a possibly apocryphal story from Gipp’s death bed. Notre Dame won the game 12–6, and the scene was memorialized by Hollywood in the movie Knute Rockne, All-American.
Notre Dame was the marquee college football program through 1930, when Rockne died in a plane crash. Layden, one of the Horsemen, restored the luster when he took over as head coach in ’34, and then Frank Leahy took the program back to the apex in the ’40s.
In five straight meetings from 1943 to ’47, either Notre Dame or Army was ranked No. 1 when they played—and every meeting was in Yankee Stadium, as this one will be.
The No. 1 Irish beat the No. 3 Black Knights 26–7 in 1943, on the way to their first AP national title. Army destroyed Notre Dame the next two seasons by a combined score of 107–0, with loaded World War II-era teams led by Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside (37), Felix “Doc” Blanchard and Glenn Davis. Army won the AP national title both of those seasons, with Blanchard winning the Heisman Trophy in ’45 and Davis in ’46.
The 1946 game was the original “Game of the Century,” a breathlessly anticipated matchup of No. 1 Army and No. 2 Notre Dame that ended in a scoreless tie. It was the only blemish for either team, and the Irish wound up winning the title. Notre Dame repeated the following year, beating Army 27–7.
The two programs stopped playing every year after 1958, Army’s last victory in the series. But they’d stored up enough history to make this resumption in Yankee Stadium special … and that was before Army decided to have its best season in decades.
Can either the Black Knights or Hoosiers keep their dream runs going? The oddsmakers don’t think so. But both have had an extra week advantage in preparation over Notre Dame and Ohio State, and at this point, they might have forgotten what losing even feels like. Dismiss them at your peril.
Fran Brown (38), Syracuse Orange. The rookie head coach improved to 7–3 with an upset win at California, presumably earning the right to take a shower. Brown made headlines last week when he said he is so despondent after losses that he does not take showers, because he hasn’t earned it. “Winners get washed,” he memorably declared. Hopefully Brown got his washing after this win.
Jeff Brohm (39), Louisville Cardinals. Five times as the head coach of the Purdue Boilermakers and at Louisville, Brohm has upset a ranked team. And five times, his team has lost its next game. The hangover from dominating Clemson on the road Nov. 2 was big enough to last two weeks, through an open date—Louisville gave up 17 points in the final seven minutes to lose to 2–7 Stanford on Saturday, 38–35. That bare fact is bad enough, but the way the Cardinals gave up the winning field goal was especially bleak—a Hail Mary pass from near midfield fell incomplete with time on the clock, allowing Stanford to take over with good field position with four seconds left. Then Louisville committed two penalties—the first a personal foul that allowed Stanford to set up for a 57-yard field goal, then an offsides that moved it to 52 yards. Kicker Emmet Kenney drilled it for the win, and the worst loss of Brohm’s largely successful 24-game tenure at his alma mater.
When thirsty in the football mecca of Atlanta, The Dash recommends a couple of beers from Monday Night Brewing, which has outlets around the South. Try an aggressively named Death Raptor IPA (40) or a Drafty Kilt scotch ale and thank The Dash later.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Indiana Pacers (6-8, eighth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (10-5, fourth in the Western Conference)
Houston; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Houston will try to keep its five-game home win streak intact when the Rockets face Indiana.
The Rockets are 6-2 in home games. Houston ranks third in the Western Conference with 53.3 points per game in the paint led by Alperen Sengun averaging 11.6.
The Pacers are 2-6 on the road. Indiana gives up 117.6 points to opponents and has been outscored by 3.2 points per game.
The Rockets average 11.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.4 fewer makes per game than the Pacers give up (13.1). The Pacers average 12.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.6 more makes per game than the Rockets give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Sengun is shooting 46.8% and averaging 17.5 points for the Rockets.
Tyrese Haliburton is scoring 16.1 points per game and averaging 3.7 rebounds for the Pacers.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 7-3, averaging 115.1 points, 52.9 rebounds, 23.9 assists, 8.9 steals and 6.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.6 points per game.
Pacers: 5-5, averaging 115.9 points, 40.4 rebounds, 27.9 assists, 8.2 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.7 points.
INJURIES: Rockets: Cam Whitmore: day to day (knee).
Pacers: Myles Turner: day to day (calf), Aaron Nesmith: out (ankle), Andrew Nembhard: out (knee), Isaiah Jackson: out (calf), James Wiseman: out (calf), Ben Sheppard: day to day (oblique).
——
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Copyright © 2024 ESPN Internet Ventures. All rights reserved.
A woman suspected in a Springfield Township homicide Monday morning was fatally shot after a vehicle pursuit in Indiana.
Springfield Township police responded to a home in the 2700 block of Lincoln Avenue around 7 a.m. for a shooting, according to a press release from Springfield Township police. There, they found 33-year-old Lacresha Black suffering from gunshot wounds on her front porch. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives identified the suspect as Terea Brown, 42, who officials said fled the scene in a dark-colored Chevrolet Cruise before officers arrived. A regional broadcast was issued to law enforcement agencies with Brown’s description and vehicle information.
Brown had traveled to Clinton County, Indiana, where she was involved in a vehicle pursuit with Indiana State Police, according to the press release. A gunshot was fired from inside Brown’s vehicle after the pursuit, police said, and pursuing troopers returned fire. She was pronounced dead.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Springfield Township police at 513-729-1300 or Indiana State Police investigators at 765-567-2125.
Enquirer media partner Fox19 provided the photo for this report.
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