The Celtics-Pacers series could set all sorts of scoring records

The match-up between the Celtics and Pacers promises to be a high-octane affair. During their five regular-season battles, the winning teams prevailed by a margin of 134-121, with the Celtics and Pacers attempting an average of 37.6 threes per game. One of those games saw the Celtics pouring in 155 points while making 20 threes. In the same game, the Pacers went 5-of-37 from deep but refused to alter their game plan — of pushing the pace and shooting threes. 

It would be surprising to see either team abandon the formula that brought them this far into the postseason. On most nights, the Celtics and Pacers are at their best when they shoot threes. Boston obviously holds the decided edge on the defensive end, all the more critical in the playoffs where each possession is cherished. 

That's precisely why most analysts feel the Pacers won't be able to outrun the Celtics like they did the Bucks and Knicks. 

"Boston is not New York where you can speed them up," Gilbert Arenas said on his "Gil's Arena" podcast. "They're gonna shoot a bunch of threes, too. So you're playing the same game with them, but they can go inside too [and play high-level defense]."

Typically, teams see significant drops in their tempo/production in the playoffs. But the Celtics and Pacers are built and coached differently. Indiana has been attempting 34.3 threes a game in the playoffs, just shy of its 35.3 regular-season mark. The Celtics are taking 38.5 threes compared to 42.5 in the regular season. 

Get ready to watch two teams bombing threes.