In the NBA playoffs, injuries are often the great equalizer, but they can also make an underdog have to dig their way out of their position in a series from an even deeper talent deficit. And in the NBA’s 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals series between the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, an injury to the team’s starting center at the start of the series likely fueled the Pacers’ hopes of an upset.
And when the team’s third-string center sprained his wrist in Game 2, it would normally compound the situation for Boston to the point of potentially even shifting the balance of power in the East finals. But Indiana may have suffered an even graver injury in that contest.
Let’s take a look at how each team is in terms of health ahead of Game 3.