Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals was a hard-fought affair between both teams and you could tell that they both desperately wanted to win. For the Celtics, however, their run of good fortunate continued on Thursday after yet another star player succumbed to an injury early in the series.
“Pacers All-NBA G Tyrese Haliburton — who is out for the rest of Game 2 vs. the Celtics — departed with left hamstring soreness, sources tell ESPN. Haliburton missed 10 games with a left hamstring strain in January,” reported ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski after the game.
On social media, fans weren’t too surprised with the results but they did express some level of resentment towards the Celtics and their path to the Finals this year.
Easiest Mickey Mouse eastern conference path of all time. I don’t wanna hear about the LeBron years. This is insane 💀
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) May 24, 2024
As far as championships go, this one will come with an asterisk for the Celtics if they manage to win it — at least, in the eyes of some within the NBA community.
I think we can all agree this scripted Celtics hospital run means nothing and the only real championship this year is the Lakers IST victory.
— 👑🐐 (@LukaToBron) May 24, 2024
Easiest cakewalk in NBA history
— Stifle-Tower27 (@Stifle_Tower27) May 24, 2024
Haliburton’s exact prognosis is unknown but he didn’t look too great during the game. In 27 minutes, he dropped just 10 points and 8 assists on 33% shooting from three. He was even worse on the defensive end, where he got abused all night long by the Celtics’ backcourt, who combined for 38 points. Jrue Holiday only missed one shot all night, going 6-7 from the field with 15 points.
Haliburton has struggled for most of the post-season and besides some flashes here and there, he just hasn’t been the same player that led his team to the play-in tournament Finals back in December. Even so, his role is crucial to the Pacers and they cannot operate effectively on offense if he’s not playing at his best.
In the first two rounds, against injured and battered teams, the Pacers were able to take advantage and outlast their competition. This time, however, it won’t prove so easy. Even without Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics have gone undefeated in the series and they are major favorites to win in Indiana for Games 3 and 4.
Without Haliburton in the fold, or at least not at full strength, the Celtics’ path just got even easier and they were already pretty lucky to face the Heat without Jimmy Butler and the Cavaliers without Donovan Mitchell for the final few games. As it stands, they might not face a real challenge until the NBA Finals.
No Excuses For The Boston Celtics
Even if the East had been fully healthy, the Celtics would have still been favored to make the Finals. With Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick White, they have one of the best starting lineups in basketball that’s experienced, well-balanced, and extremely talented across all areas of the court.
Combine the starters with a deep and versatile bench, and it’s a recipe for success in a Conference that’s already in a weakened state. Compared to the West, things are much easier for teams on the Atlantic side and it shows in the standings when a team like the Bucks (who won 49 games) managed to finish in 3rd place.
Now that injuries have gone completely off the rails this post-season, the Celtics are the only team left intact and it’s made for a cake-walk through the Eastern Conference. What happens in the Finals, however, is still completely up for grabs considering the only teams that are left have never won it before.
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