The Celtics are on the verge of a sweep that somehow makes them feel like less of a title lock than before

The Celtics lead the Pacers 3-0, but they could easily be down 2-1.

If “playing with your food” were a team, it would be the Boston Celtics.

NBA title favorites from the very start of the season, the Celtics couldn’t be more uninspiring than they’ve been during a run through the playoffs that only includes two losses up to this point.

Somehow they’re doing everything they’re supposed to be doing, while doing nothing at all. Even as the Celtics are on the verge of a sweep over the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals, they feel like less of a title certainty than they did going into the playoffs.

The betting odds don’t agree, as Boston is now the -225 favorite at BetMGM to win it all, up from +160 at the start of the playoffs. But an NBA Finals win over the Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves won’t come nearly as easy as wins over undermanned teams in the Eastern Conference.

And even those wins didn’t come as easy as they should have for a team as stacked as Boston.

During their 11-2 run through the playoffs, the Celtics lost home games they were favored to win by more than 10 points to both the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. Even some of the games they did ultimately win came with unexpected struggles — like Game 4 against a Cleveland team without Donovan Mitchell.

Overall, Boston is just 7-6 against the spread this postseason — right in line with their 50% winning percentage ATS in the regular season. And though they lead the Pacers 3-0, they should probably be down 2-1 after requiring miraculous comebacks to win games one and three.

With Indiana’s best player, Tyrese Haliburton, out Saturday, the Celtics found themselves down by as much as 18 points after allowing 24-year-old Andrew Nembhard to score a career-high 32 points and 32-year-old T.J. McConnell to score a playoff career-high 23.

"You had to be out there to kinda feel it… some of those guys turned into f****** Michael Jordan or whatever."

Jaylen Brown gives major credit to the Pacers pic.twitter.com/m7dwxboV7b

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 26, 2024

Give Indiana and its role players credit for their fight, but what we’ve seen from the Celtics isn’t exactly what we’ve come to expect from championship contenders against teams perceived as being a level below them.

Maybe they’re simply bored and playing down to their competition, knowing they have the mettle to fight back if things get too out of hand. Or maybe Kristaps Porzingis’ absence is having a bigger impact than anyone could have anticipated for a team that won 64 games in the regular season.

Whatever it is, they better fix it before Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Because Boston’s first game against Dallas or Minnesota will be its first game this postseason against a team with 50-plus wins, and that leap in competition will be evident.

Meanwhile, those Western Conference teams have been playing 50-win foes all along. So while they may not be as good as Boston, they’ll be ready. And they won’t have the same pressure as Boston’s stars of needing to get over a perceived hump. Which is why the value on their odds is so tempting. They’ll force the Celtics to bring their A-game every possession. And if the Celtics don’t, they’ll lose.