2019 NBA Playoffs: Boston Celtics vs. Indiana Pacers preview

In the always heated 4-5 matchup, the NBA will see the Boston Celtics take on the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs.

The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers find themselves separated by just a single game in the Eastern Conference standings, and yet the paths each team took to get to this point in the year are vastly different.

Heading into the 2018-19 campaign, Boston was supposed to dominate the rest of the league. The Cs were coming off their second consecutive appearance in the conference finals and would see the return of All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward to the court.

Despite the prediction of a possible run to the Finals, the Celtics have struggled throughout the year with continuity at the offensive end, leading to their underwhelming record of just 48-33 on the season.

The Pacers were looking to take a step forward after taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in last year’s first-round matchup, but any hopes of a step forward were diminished greatly after All-Star Victor Oladipo went down for the season in late January.

Indiana could’ve made this a lost season, but continued to persist on the backbone of strong coaching and elite defense. That was good enough for the Pacers to go a respectable 23-23 in Oladipo’s absence, locking them into the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics have played below expectations all season while Indy continues to exceed them. However, Boston took three of its four matchups with the Pacers, creating real intrigue for what is usually an entertaining matchup in the 4-5 position. Here’s a look at the series, including the key matchup, three questions that will decide the outcome and our final predictions.