Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) and forward Jayson Tatum (0). Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Draymond Green sends warning to Pacers over 'different animal' in the Celtics

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 5/20/24

The Indiana Pacers are heading to the Eastern Conference Finals. They will face the Boston Celtics. The winner will progress to the NBA Finals. Indiana defeated the New York Knicks in a seven-game series in the second round. However, the Knicks were missing a litany of role players and their All-Star forward, Julius Randle.

In a recent episode of "The Draymond Green Show," the four-time NBA champion warned Indiana. He noted how the Celtics will be a different level of challenge for the young, fast-paced team.

"Now we get real. Now you get Boston," Green said. "...This is a different animal. This is a totally different animal. I got Boston. No problem. Should be a gentleman's sweep...They got to the conference finals. Somebody had to get there, it's the East, we get it...I think this is gonna be the end of the road for them."

Draymond Green still thinks the Pacers are a regular season team

“They got to the conference finals. Somebody had to get there. It’s the east.”

( @TheVolumeSports )

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— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 20, 2024

For all the talk of Boston having an easy route to the conference finals, the Pacers have had their fair share of luck as well. They defeated a Milwaukee Bucks team without Giannis Antetokounmpo. Damian Lillard went down with an injury during the series, too. Then, they faced a Knicks team that had run out of steam and was throwing out makeshift rotations.

The Celtics are a different level of opponent. They're the best offensive team in the NBA. They're one of the best defensive units in the league, too. Outside of Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics have all their star talent available and ready to go. There will be a clash of styles between the two teams. Indiana must be at its best to stand a chance of causing an upset.

Green's assessment is fair. However, this is the NBA, so you can never count a team out. Upsets happen all the time.

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