BOSTON (CBS) — We’ve known for a while that the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers would clash in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Now we know when that series will get underway. The NBA announced their full postseason schedule overnight, shortly after the regular season came to an end for all 30 teams. The Celtics and Pacers will tip off their playoff series on Sunday in Boston: Game 1: Pacers at Celtics: Sunday, April 14 @ 1 p.m. TNT Game 2: Pacers at Celtics: Wednesday, April 17 @ 7 p.m. TNT Game 3: Celtics at Pacers: Friday, April 19 @ 8:30 p.m. ABC Game 4: Celtics at Pacers: Sunday, April 21 @ 1 p.m. ABC Game 5 (if necessary) Pacers at Celtics: Wednesday, April 24 (Time TBA) Game 6 (if necessary) Celtics at Pacers: Friday, April 26 (Time TBA) Game 7 (if necessary) Pacers at Celtics: Sunday, April 28 (Time TBA) The Celtics went 3-1 against Indiana during the regular season, taking each of their last three meetings. The Pacers won the first matchup, 102-101, in Indiana back on Nov. 3, as Victor Oladipo hit a three with 3.4 seconds remaining to life Indy to the victory. Oladipo had 24 points and 12 rebounds as the Celtics blew a 101-97 lead with 37.2 seconds to go in regulation. But that was the only time the Celtics had to deal with Oladipo this season, as the Pacers star was lost to a ruptured tendon in his right knee in late January. While Indiana is still a gritty defensive team, they are vastly undermanned without their MVP. The Celtics easily won the second matchup of the season, 135-108 at TD Garden on Jan. 9. The Celtics had 68 points at halftime and Marcus Morris and Jaylen Brown both finished the game with 22 points. The Celtics dished out 32 assists on 50 made baskets in the game. Things were a lot closer when the two teams met again in Boston on March 29. The Celtics needed a last-second Kyrie Irving layup to claim a 114-112 victory, which let them overtake the Pacers in the standings for the four-seed. Irving finished with 30 points in the back-and-forth affair, while Al Horford chipped in with 19 points and seven rebounds. Boston had a lot more breathing room in the final regular season matchup, and delivered the final nail in the coffin for Indy’s hopes at reclaiming the four-seed. They pulled away late for a 117-97 at Bankerslife Field House, as Gordon Hayward went a perfect 9-for-9 from the field (and three-for-three from the free throw line) and finished with 21 points. Overall, the Celtics averaged 116.8 points in their four games against the Pacers, which was second in the league behind the 122 points the Warriors averaged in their two meetings with Indy. The C’s held the Pacers to 43.2 percent shooting in their four matchups, while hitting 50.8 percent of their own attempts.<doc-sep>The NBA’s regular season has officially ended, and with that, the playoff schedule has been released. Game one of the series between the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers tips off at the TD Garden Sunday at 1:00. There’s a two-day break before game two, which is Wednesday, April 17 at 7:00. The series shifts to Indiana for game three on Friday, April 19 at 8:30 and Sunday, April 21 at 1:00. Game five, if necessary, will be played in Boston Wednesday, April 24. Game six would be on Friday, April 26 in Indiana. Game seven would be Sunday, April 28 in Boston. All those times will be determined later. All times listed are Eastern Time.<doc-sep>The Boston Celtics will take on the Indiana Pacers in the NBA playoffs. The series gets started on Sunday, April 14th at 1 p.m. Eastern on TNT. Boston is locked in as the No. 4 seed in the East. The NHL playoffs mean the Celtics-Pacers series will start on Sunday. Real GM’s Keith Smith pointed out the Bruins play at TD Garden on Saturday. “The NHL Postseason schedule is out…I know, weird for me to tweet about that, right? It impacts the Celtics! The Bruins host playoff games in TD Garden on Thursday and Saturday. That means the Celtics, should they earn HCA in the first round, would likely play Game 1 on Sunday,” Smith tweeted. The Celtics Won 3 of 4 Games Against the Pacers This Season Boston had success against Indiana this season taking three of the four games. The Celtics have won their last three matchups against the Pacers including a 20-point blowout just a few days ago. Jayson Tatum had 22 points, seven rebounds and three steals in the victory. The Celtics did not have the kind of regular season many expected, but Boston still has enough talent to make some noise. Celtics head coach Brad Stevens hopes his team can treat the playoffs like an entirely new season. Stevens detailed his outlook against the Pacers to Mass Live. “We need to prepare to play very well against Indiana. That’s the bottom line,” said Stevens. “One of the things about the playoffs is you know your opponent, you know who you have to prepare for and play against. We have to be extremely locked in. We have to be detail oriented. We have to do all the things that really good teams do. And at the same time understand and balance that with you’re not going to play perfectly, there will be ups and downs, but if you can kind of stay the course and kind of minimize all of the other stuff, then you have a good chance to at least give yourself a chance to have success.” Boston should have an advantage over Indiana with Victor Oladipo sidelined for the rest of the season. Celtics guard Terry Rozier noted that he expects Boston to be even better in the playoffs. “I feel as a team, as a whole, we’re going to have a great playoff push,” Rozier told NBA.com. “I feel like we’re more connected, we’re more together than we was at the beginning of the season. There’s a lot of things that we corrected. I feel like that’s going to be a lot of fun.” Pacers vs. Celtics Playoff Schedule<doc-sep>Let the (playoff) games begin. The NBA regular season wrapped up Wednesday night, and the attention now shifts to postseason basketball. The Boston Celtics will meet the Indiana Pacers in the first round, with the best-of-seven series kicking off Sunday afternoon at TD Garden. Here’s the full schedule for Celtics vs. Pacers: The Celtics took three of four games from the Pacers in the regular season and claimed home-court advantage for their first-round series late in the campaign. Key absences will be a major storyline for this matchup, as Boston will be without Marcus Smart while Indiana will try to pull off the upset without its premier player, Victor Oladipo. The C’s probably are the favorites in this one, but the Pacers have been defying the odds all season and cannot be taken lightly. As such, it wouldn’t be all too surprising if this series stretches to six or seven games. Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images<doc-sep>
The Pacers and Celtics will tip off their first round playoff series on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET in a game televised on TNT. Thanks for a first round matchup with the Celtics, the Pacers don’t have to worry about NBA TV relegation this year. The first two games in Boston will be shown on TNT, then the next two in Indy will be televised on ABC. Here’s the full schedule: Game 1 @ Boston: Sunday, Apr. 14 at 1 p.m. ET on TNT Game 2 @ Boston: Wednesday, Apr. 17 at 7 p.m. ET on TNT Game 3 @ Indiana: Friday, Apr. 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC Game 4 @ Indiana: Sunday, Apr. 21 at 1 p.m. ET on ABC Game 5 @ Boston: Wednesday, Apr. 24 (if necessary) Time: TBD Game 6 @ Indiana: Friday, Apr. 26 (if necessary) Time: TBD Game 7 @ Boston: Sunday, Apr. 28 (if necessary) Time: TBD The Pacers enjoyed a culture win to complete the regular season in Atlanta, with TJ Leaf and Edmond Sumner playing a starring role to get it done against the young, but talented Hawks. Most of the vets rested with an eye on the Celtics and Game 1. The Pacers also heard some favorable news with reports that Marcus Smart will be out for the series with an oblique injury. Smart’s ability to guard Bojan Bogdanovic and allow the Celtics to go small against the Pacers big lineups with Myles Turner and Domas Sabonis was a distinct advantage Brad Stevens and friends will no longer be able to lean on. Of course, Gordon Hayward’s resurgent play and the mere presence of Kyrie at closing time should keep the Celtics favored throughout the series. Ah, the Pacers in an udnerdog role...just the way they like it.