The NBA’s conference finals have officially begun.
The Boston Celtics are facing off against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Dallas Mavericks in the West.
If these series play out similarly to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, fans are in for a real treat.
Game 1 between the Celtics and Pacers went into overtime, with the Celtics pulling out a narrow victory.
While the Celtics managed to pull out a win in this game, there is a concern with their current roster.
Stephen A. Smith outlined this in a recent segment of the NBA on ESPN, highlighting a missing piece for this team.
“You are not beating Minnesota or Dallas in the NBA Finals without Kristaps Porzingis,” Smith said.
"You are not beating Minnesota or Dallas in the NBA finals without Kristaps Porzingis." @StephenASmith on how important Porzingis' return is to the Celtics. pic.twitter.com/we0iCfwaG5
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 22, 2024
Porzingis was out for Game 1, and his current return timeline is unknown.
The Celtics were forced to start Al Horford in this game, and while he played well, Porzingis offers a completely different style of play.
If they do make it on to the NBA Finals, as Smith indicates, they could be in big trouble.
The Timberwolves have two dominant big men, Karl Anthony-Towns and Rudy Gobert, and the Mavericks have a well-rounded team that’s tough to stop.
With this in mind, Smith is worried about the Celtics’ chances in the title series and hopes Porzingis can get healthy in time.
Of course, they still have to make it past the Pacers, a team that showed a lot of heart and drive in Game 1.
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