Indiana Pacers: What to expect from a Celtics playoff series

SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 29: Darren Collison #2, Myles Turner #33 and Thaddeus Young #21, Bojan Bogdanovic #44 and Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers talk during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 29, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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3. Shoot the three-ball, and shoot it well

The Pacers haven’t been known to light up the scoreboard on a night-to-night basis (although they have recorded some very high-scoring games this year), but when they do, it’s because their 3-point shots have fallen. Players like Bojan Bogdanovic and Darren Collison, who have shot the deep ball fairly well this year, can’t be afraid to pull the trigger.

Bogdanovic in particular is having the best 3-point shooting and scoring year of his career. The Celtics have a very solid perimeter defense though, and will invariably make it tougher on him to convert the looks he normally gets from beyond the arc.

Players like Wesley Matthews, Cory Joseph and even Myles Turner, who has added the long ball to his arsenal, will have to stretch out the floor and make the defense work. It nearly paid off in Saturday’s loss at the TD Garden–Indiana made 12 out of 27 of its 3s, and if not for a late Marcus Smart 3 and a last-second Kyrie Irving layup, the season series could be the Pacers’ to clinch right now.

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