By Brian Gillespie, NBA analyst
Boston Celtics: 3rd Seed, East (45-37)
Indiana Pacers: 6th Seed, East (44-38)
(Basketball News) - There have been many times over Danny Ainge’s two-year stint as head of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics that the critics have taken pot shots at him. However, it appears that Ainge has gotten the last laugh as he has put together a roster that has netted Beantown its first Atlantic Division championship in 12 years.
The Celtics will try to ride the momentum of the division title into the postseason, as they battle the Indiana Pacers in a best-of-seven first round series beginning Saturday night at the FleetCenter.
It will mark the third consecutive campaign that these teams have met in the first round. Indiana swept the Celtics in four games last season, but Boston ousted the Pacers in six games two years ago. These teams have met four different times in the first round with Boston take three of the sets.
Ainge pulled off the best trade deadline exchange in February, re-acquiring Antoine Walker from Atlanta for Gary Payton, Tom Gugliotta, Michael Stewart and a first round pick. Walker came back to team despite being traded away by Ainge just two years ago. Meanwhile, Payton refused to report to the Hawks, eventually receiving a buyout of his contract and re-signing with the Celtics.
With Walker, Payton and All-Star guard Paul Pierce in the fold, the Celtics won 11 of 12 in early March to gain first place in the Atlantic and kept Philadelphia at arm’s length the rest of the way. Boston saw its advantage dwindle in early April after coming back to earth, but it answered with six wins in seven games to seal the deal.
Pierce is the guy that Celtics rely on when they need a big hoop, as he is as clutch as they come. The 27-year-old has registered 21.6 points (17th-NBA) per contest this season to go along with 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals (10th). Pierce is a very good three-point shooter, draining 37 percent of his attempts from downtown.
The Pacers will have to pick-and-choose when they double Pierce because he can quickly rotate the ball to the deadly Walker, who is an excellent three-point shooter as well. Walker, who averaged 19 points and nine rebounds per contest between Atlanta and Boston, isn’t easy to contain because he is a big man with both perimeter and post skills. The University of Kentucky product has a fadeaway jumper that is extremely tough to defend.
This is the Celtics’ fourth consecutive trip to the postseason after a six- year drought in the mid-1990’s. Boston is still looking for its first NBA title since the 1985-86 campaign. The Celtics, who have won 16 championships, haven’t been back to the NBA Finals since 1987.
It is a relative miracle that the Pacers are where they are after all the controversy and injuries they have suffered through this season. Following the Motown Melee in November, the Pacers lost Ron Artest for the season and Jermaine O’Neal and Stephen Jackson for long periods of time. Nonetheless, Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle kept his team together and it successfully treaded water during the time.
Once the Pacers got near to full strength in February, they won eight of 11 games to get two contests over .500. Of course, shortly thereafter O’Neal went to the injured list with a shoulder injury that put him out for yet another month. During his absence, Reggie Miller took the team on his shoulders and helped it go 15-6 and lock up a postseason slot.
Miller, who is retiring after 18 seasons in the league, will be trying to earn his last bit of playoff glory. The sharpshooter averaged 14.8 points per contest this season, his highest average since the 2001-02 campaign. Miller has tallied 25.279 points, an NBA-record 2.560 three-pointers, 4,182 rebounds and 4,141 assists in his career.
Jackson, who was acquired from Atlanta for Al Harrington, has been an integral part to the Pacers’ success this season. The 27-year-old registered 18.7 points per contest while shooting 36 percent from three-point range. Jackson and Miller along with O’Neal’s inside dominance make for a tough trio to handle on the defensive end.
Indiana made its way to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, losing in six games to the eventual World Champion Detroit Pistons. The Pacers have made the postseason in eight consecutive seasons, getting to the Eastern Conference Finals three times and the NBA Finals once. Indiana has never won an NBA championship, but it did win three ABA titles.
The Pacers took two of three regular season meetings between these squads this year, but both of their wins came in November. Boston won its most recent meeting, 100-86, at the FleetCenter on January 26. Indiana has won five of six and seven of 10 in this series.
FRONTCOURT: O’Neal, who averaged 24.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest this season, is one of the toughest post players in the league to guard. His powerful post-up game and plethora of post moves force opposing teams to double down on him on a regular basis. Look for the Celtics to throw a bunch of different big bodies at him in this series.
Boston head coach Doc Rivers may have to adjust his starting lineup to deal with O’Neal, as his usual starting center Raef LaFrentz isn’t the ideal defender against him. Thicker youngsters Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins, and Mark Blount may end up seeing more minutes than LaFrentz in this series. The one advantage LaFrentz provides the Celtics is that he is a very capable three-point shooter.
The Celtics will try to counter O’Neal by causing matchup problems with Walker. Indiana is expected to start O’Neal and Jeff Foster, neither of which should be able to stick with Walker. Foster is a solid defender, shot blocker and rebounder, but his speciality is defending the post.
Pierce and Jackson should be a knockdown, drag-out battle at the small forward position. Both of the men are potent scorers and like to talk trash, which should make things interesting.
EDGE: BOSTON
BACKCOURT: Indiana added starting point guard Jamaal Tinsley to its playoff roster, but he won’t likely return unless the Pacers make the second round. Anthony Johnson remains the primary ball handler for the Pacers, setting the table for the Pacers’ variety of offensive weapons. Johnson, a veteran, is an offensive threat in his own right. The 30-year-old has averaged nearly five assists to just 1 1/2 turnovers this season.
Despite Johnson’s solid play, Boston should have the advantage with Payton at the point. Payton has tallied 11.3 points and 6.1 assists for the Celtics in 77 games this season, shooting an impressive 47 percent. The ’Glove’ should be able to limit Johnson’s offensive opportunities.
While Indiana has Mr. Reliable in Miller at the shooting guard spot, the Celtics have plenty of question marks at the position. It appears rookie Delonte West will get the starting nod. West will be out of his league against Miller, who has averaged 21.2 points a game in his playoff career. Miller loves being a star on the league’s biggest stage and should have a huge series.
EDGE: EVEN
BENCH: With the starting lineups being so tightly matched, it could turn out that the benches will make the difference in this series. Boston will look to sixth man Ricky Davis to provide an instant impact off the pine. Davis has settled quite nicely into his role this season, posting 16 points per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field. The former Iowa Hawkeye must keep his focus though, as he tends to take ill-advised shots at crucial times in games.
Boston will also bring youngsters G Tony Allen, PG Marcus Banks, Jefferson and Perkins off the pine. Allen is an extremely athletic rookie which could be utilized in limited minutes as a defender in this set, while Banks will spell Payton. Jefferson and Perkins will provide 12 fouls and the occasional offensive output in this series.
Blount could end up starting in this series, as he is bigger than LaFrentz and could challenge O’Neal. The seven-footer ranks seventh in the league in field goal shooting (.529).
Indiana will likely bring shooting guard Fred Jones off the bench first, while veteran center Dale Davis will get plenty of work off the pine. Jones is a solid three-point shooter and a terrific dunker, while Davis is a rebounder and defender.
The Pacers can also look to power forward Austin Croshere and rookie small forward James Jones to hit perimeter shots off the bench. Croshere has been hampered by a sore lower back as of late, which could limit his minutes.
EDGE: BOSTON
COACH: Carlisle has to be a frontrunner for the NBA Coach of the Year award, as he pulled off a Houdini act in keeping his team in the thick of the playoff race despite a long list of hurdles. The fourth-year head man, who was ran out of Detroit in 2003 despite consecutive 50-win seasons, is 205-123 (.625) in his coaching career. Carlisle has tallied a 22-21 postseason mark.
Rivers has been blessed with a very helpful general manager which has set him up with a nice mix of veterans and youngsters. Just one season after being fired from Orlando after a 1-10 start, Rivers has done a nice job keeping his team together.
EDGE: INDIANA
PREDICTION: There is very little difference in talent between these teams, but the fact that Artest is not around hurts the Pacers. Artest was their toughest defender who could be matched up against Pierce in crucial moments and make the difference in the game. Without Artest, Indiana won’t have an answer for the clutch effort from Pierce. While Miller will do his best to keep his career alive, the Pacers will flatline in this series in six games.
BOSTON IN SIX
Boston Celtics 
Indiana Pacers 
