Many Celtics fans believe Boston will waltz to the NBA Finals, and they have every right to be supremely confident in the Eastern Conference’s top seed.
But Austin Rivers thinks Green Teamers shouldn’t look ahead to basketball’s biggest stage quite yet.
No, Rivers didn’t predict the Pacers to win the East when he joined “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday. But the former NBA guard did urge Boston to fend off any and all complacency within its best-of-seven set against Indiana.
“I think Celtics fans are doing themselves a disservice. I think they’re undervaluing and underappreciating the talent level of the Pacers, more so the depth, too,” Rivers said. “First off, the Pacers are a dangerous team. They’re highly confident, they’re well-coached. They’re coming off winning a Game 7 in Madison Square Garden. Those guys are all healthy over there. You guys have tapping in, playing the best basketball of their careers.”
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Rivers added: “The Pacers could be problematic, man. If they steal one of these games on the road, it could be trouble because we all know the Pacers at home are a whole difficult ballclub. They don’t lose at home. They have one of the best home environments in sports. The Celtics have to be careful because they’ve been playing, like, this lollygag basketball where they give away a game and they haven’t really tapped in because they haven’t had to. You can’t do that vs. the Pacers, man. People are underappreciating this team.”
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Rivers wasn’t the only player-turned-analyst who expected the Pacers to bring the fight to the Celtics. Former Boston big man Kendrick Perkins believes Rick Carlisle’s side will push the series to a winner-take-all Game 7.
Boston and Indiana will meet for Game 1 on Tuesday night. Tipoff from TD Garden is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
Featured image via Paul Rutherford/USA TODAY Sports Images
