4 stats that defined the Pacers-Celtics matchups this season

Bojan Bogdanovic is 9 of 21 in the last two meetings with the Celtics

The series will likely come down to two things for the Pacers. Can Bojan Bogdanovic be the 20+ point scorer Indiana needs, or will the Pacers need Thaddeus Young to knock down his shots?

The two are related, of course, as Boston’s been using Young’s defenders to help cover Bogdanovic.

The result has been not only slowing down Bojan but breaking down the entire Indiana offense. Without Bogdanovic getting going, the Pacers have relied on Young and Darren Collison to take more shots than their Croatian forward.

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While Young is knocking over half of those increased opportunities, it takes Indiana away from stopping and popping, screening, and getting their entire offense involved. Young does plenty of things for Indiana, but the Pacers are better off when he creates his offense in the chaos when he cleans up after other players.

If the Pacers aren’t getting Myles Turner or Wesley Matthews as involved, the floor spacing gets much tighter for Indiana. And when that happens, Bojan’s not only taking fewer shots but making fewer of them too.

Figuring out how to free up Bojan and in the process, the rest of the offense isn’t an easy task. The Celtics’ ability to switch nearly everything befuddles the Pacers at times. For the Pacers to win, they need Young to keep the Celtics on their toes instead of conceding shots to him while clamping down Bogdanovic.

If Bogdanovic is held under 20 points, the Pacers need everyone else to step up. That’s not easy without playmakers, but if Boston forces them to look outside of their small forward for points, then Indiana must make them pay.

The Celtics, for the most part, have dominated the series this season. Yes, injuries played a role, but without Victor Oladipo coming back, that excuse really doesn’t matter. The absence of Marcus Smart makes it a little harder for Boston to switch and crossmatch as much as they did, but they still have an edge in most the matchups.

It comes down to whether the Pacers figure out how to get something going on offense. If the Celtics force their hand, it could be a quick series. But if Indiana breaks out of that cage, this series becomes a grind, and that’s something the Pacers do well.