Preview – Boston Celtics (33-41) vs Indiana Pacers (32-42)

The time is now for the Boston Celtics and they can no longer afford to blink. The Celtics are once again on the outside looking into the playoff picture but they will have a chance to change that tonight. The Celtics are just  half game behind the Brooklyn Nets who currently hold the final playoff spot. The flip side of that is that the Celtics only have a one game lead on the Indiana Pacers who are one spot behind the Celtics. In any way possible and seen from every angle, tonight is an absolute must win game for the Celtics.

The ramifications of tonights game will extend beyond an opportunity to sneak back into the 8th seed. If the Celtics are successful and take down the Pacers, not only will they have an opportunity to take back the 8 seed, but after the Spurs took care of the Heat, they will be just half a game behind the Heat for the 7th seed.

Unfortunately for the rest of the teams in the playoff race the Nets are in action tonight against the New York Knicks. While there are no guarantees it is pretty safe to assume that the Nets will reign over New York tonight. The Nets playing Knicks makes it more difficult for the Celtics to reclaim the 8th seed. What it also means is that if the Celtics lose, they may be in too deep of a hole to recover from.

A loss not only means the Pacers jump over the Celtics in the standing but it also means that the Celtics could very well be 1.5 games behind the Nets for the final playoff spot. 1.5 games is far from insurmountable but there are two many teams fighting for a playoff spot. So many that the problem may not be how many games the Celtics are behind, but how many teams are ahead of them.

One way to put it could be that the Celitcs’ playoff hopes are on the line tonight. Fortunately, the Celtics should be going into the game confident and should come out with a victory.

The first problem for the Pacers is that they are on the second game of a back to back. The Celtics have spoiled their fans by being superb on the latter end of back to backs, but for the rest of the league it is a disadvantage. The Pacers are coming off of a tough fought loss to the Nets and while this will add to their desperation (as their season is as much on the line as the Celtics) it will also add to their fatigue.

The Celtics are also a team that you do not want to be fatigued against. The main reason it is so important to have fresh legs against the Celtics is because of how deep their bench is. Brad Stevens will not only have 10 players available to him, but he has 10 players that he trusts with significant minutes. In their last game against the Hornets all 10 players who were active for the Celtics had at least 15 minutes played (and yes that does include Gerald Wallace). The Celtics have the luxury of always having fresh legs on the court and that will only amplify the Pacers’ fatigue.

The Celtics have fared well against the Pacers this season, taking two out of their three meeting with the one loss coming in overtime. With Isaiah Thomas starting to return to form the Celtics have no excuses against the Pacers and they are set up for a potentially season defining win in arguably the most important game of the season.

Mar 27, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) shoots a free throw during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Boston Celtics won 96-92. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports