Boston fans are on edge as the Celtics and Pacers series for the Eastern Conference finals begins on Tuesday, May 22nd. This 2023-2024 season, the Celtics finished 64-18 and took the East 14 games, while the Pacers finished 47-35 in 6th place in the East. The Celtics leaders this regular season have been Jayson Tatum (26.9 ppg), Jaylen Brown (23.0 ppg), and Kristaps Porzingis (20.1 ppg). Meanwhile, the Pacers leaders this regular season have been Pascal Siakam (21.3 ppg), Tyrese Haliburton (20.1 ppg), and Myles Turner (17.1 ppg). The Pacers just came off a 4-3 series win over the New York Knicks, and the Celtics are coming off a 4-1 series win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Coming from the Northeast, SHS students are dying for another national championship to come back home, and with the Bruins out of the NHL playoffs, the Celtics are the only chance we have left this year. We talked to SHS senior Michael Porter, who will play basketball for Ithaca College, about his thoughts on the game and who he believes will win the series. Porter responded, “The Celtics are a better team with more allstars and way more chemistry as a team than the Pacers.” Porter clearly believes this should be an easy series win for the Celtics, and they will advance to the NBA finals.

After Porter, we decided to talk to SHS senior and Indiana University commit Will Cahill about his thoughts on the series. Being in New England his whole life, Cahill has always been a Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots, and Bruins fan. We really wanted to know if his plans to attend college in Indiana would change his thoughts on the series and future Celtics seasons. Cahill responded to our inquiry by stating, “Basketball is big out there, but I’ve been a Celtics fan my whole life, and the Celtics will always be the favorite for me.” 

It appears the Celtics are favored by multiple SHS students and Las Vegas, with odds of -165 to win the Eastern Conference and -160 to win the NBA Championship.