With the defending champion Denver Nuggets eliminated from the playoffs, the Celtics enter the Final Four as the favorite to win their first NBA championship in 16 years. At least that’s what they are hearing.
The Celtics have said little this postseason about their expectations, as they have focused on the next game, the next series. They were able to topple the shorthanded Heat, a rival and Achilles’ heel for a decade, and then the Cavaliers in five games.
And the perception is they’ve yet to be tested. The Pacers should provide more resistance than the previous two opponents but the Celtics should win this series with ease if they play to their capabilities.
But they enter this round with considerable pressure. Anything short of a championship would be a disappointment. There is also a level of distrust in the Celtics because of their propensity for letting down against lesser opponents.
The Celtics lost Game 2 of the last two series at TD Garden and that is considered slippage, especially for a team with a history of losing winnable playoff games. Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and their teammates will have to prove this year is different, realizing that the pressure to win a championship increases following every performance.
“You do your best to block it out, you’ve got to focus on what matters the most,” Brown said. “And that’s your team, that’s each possession that’s in front of you, that’s what your job is, the scouting report. That’s what matters most, to be able to focus the mind on what matters.
“Because it’s easy to get distracted from what the overall goal and target is if you start to entertain everything else that’s going around you and it makes you less focused on the actual goal.”
The critics are difficult to ignore. Every day brings a new narrative. Suddenly, the Nuggets, favored to repeat, are considered a flawed team that requires reinforcements because they lost a seven-game series to the Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves have become the Celtics’ primary challenger for the title, and they lost three consecutive games against the Nuggets. Because the Celtics didn’t sweep their previous two series against injured teams and because of their past failures, such as losing Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals at home last season, the perception is they’re capable of falling short again, even though their roster has been built to win a championship.
Kristaps Porzingis is listed as out for Game 1 with a calf injury but could return in this series and will be needed for a title run. Jrue Holiday, also added during the offseason, showed his worth in the Cleveland series with some big offensive games.
Yet, the only way for the Celtics to prove they are different than their previous teams is to continue winning.
“For me personally, you see [the criticism and predictions], you try not to, but any time you put on the television or anything sports, they’re always talking about the Celtics,” Brown said. “So it’s hard to get away from anybody that’s talking about the Celtics. But for the most part I do my best to stay away from it and focus on what’s in front of you. Everything else kind of distracts you from the overall team mission.”
Seemingly, the only thing that can stop the Celtics from winning a championship is the Celtics. They will face challenges. Indiana is the best offensive team in the NBA. Dallas has a dynamic pair in Luka Doncic and former Celtic Kyrie Irving while Minnesota is an elite defensive team with Anthony Edwards as the game’s next superstar.
With the Celtics learning of their next opponent on Sunday evening, coach Joe Mazzulla has focused on team improvement and preparation. They’ll have detailed scouting reports on the Pacers. They’ll master their opponent, but the Celtics want to enter this series as their best selves.
Mazzulla embraces outside opinions. But the consensus of even their biggest critics is that the Celtics are capable of greatness if they are focused.
“I think you have to have an understanding of what your opponent has the ability to do and take away their strengths,” Mazzulla said. “You have to know and anticipate their adjustments. But at the same time you have to [prepare for] here’s what it looks like when we are at our best and we have to fight to be at our best.
“We have to know [the Pacers] are here for a reason. They’re a great team. They have been all year. If you take a look at the games we played against them, it’s been a great test. They put a ton of pressure on us. But I think it’s a balance of both [us and them], that’s how it’s been really throughout the playoffs so far.”
The Celtics are capable of winning a championship. They are capable of sweeping the Pacers. But they have to focus on improvement, being locked in every minute, even if they sometimes get bored with the process.
The pressure and expectations are not going to subside, so the Celtics will need to accept them, realize there is credence behind them because of past shortcomings, and ensure those lackadaisical stretches and self-inflicted errors don’t happen, because they are too talented and experienced for regression.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.