Schedule and 2004 Results
Regular Season Records: Indiana 61-21, Boston 36-46
Game 1 on Saturday, 17 Apr: Boston loses at Indiana, 104-pts-88
Game 2 on Tuesday, 20 Apr: Boston loses at Indiana, 103-pts-90
Game 3 on Friday, 23 Apr: Indiana wins at Boston, 108-pts-85
Game 4 on Sunday, 25 Apr: Indiana wins at Boston, 90-pts-75

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 4: The Indiana Pacers visited and defeated the Boston Celtics 90-pts-75 to sweep MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 921, 4-games-nil. In all four games, the margin of victory for Indiana exceeded ten points. Series 921 thus becomes only the second best-of-7 NBA series sweep in which the victory margin in each game reached double digits. The first such series? Series 374, a 1980 NBA Quarterfinals series, in which the Boston Celtics (series 921 losers) swept the Houston Rockets. With the sweep, the Indiana Pacers improve their best-of-7 NBA overall series record to 7-6 and their Preliminary round series record to 1-1, while the Boston Celtics see their NBA overall series record fall to 51-17 and their Preliminary-round series record fall to 1-1. The four-game sweep is the first ever in best-of-7 NBA Preliminary-round play, the 40th in best-of-7 NBA play (all rounds), and the 153rd in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL play (all rounds). The sweep is the second achieved by the Indiana Pacers and the third suffered by the Boston Celtics.

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 921 in Massachusetts for Games 3-4, the Indiana Pacers defeated the Boston Celtics 108-pts-85 on the road, thereby taking a commanding 3-games-nil lead in their series. Series 921 Game 3 was the 208th best-of-7 NBA playoff home game for the Boston Celtics, and the 23-point margin of defeat suffered by the Celtics was its worst-ever at home in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series home game (breaking the old mark of 22 points, set in series 258 Game 1 - the 1972 NBA Semifinals - in which the New York Knickerbockers visited and defeated the Celtics 116-pts-94). The Indiana Pacers have won the first three games of this series by margins of 16, 13, and 23 points, for a three-game victory margin total of 52 points; that 52-point total ties Indiana for the seventh-highest such point total in best-of-7 NBA playoff history (the record is 70 points through three victories, set by the Philadelphia 76ers in best-of-7 series 344 - a 1978 NBA Quarterfinals series vs. the New York Knickerbockers, which Philadelphia would eventually sweep). When Indiana leads a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-nil, its series record is 2-0 and its Game 4 record is 1-1; when Boston trails 3-games-nil, its series record is 0-3 and its Game 4 record is 1-2.

After Game 2: The Indiana Pacers again hosted and again defeated the Boston Celtics, 103-pts-90 this time, to take a 2-games-nil lead in best-of-7 playoff series 921. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the Indiana Pacers have a 4-0 overall series record and a 2-2 Game 3 record; when down 2-games-nil, the Boston Celtics have a 1-6 overall series record and a 4-3 Game 3 record.

After Game 1: The Indiana Pacers hosted and defeated the Boston Celtics 104-pts-88 to take a 1-game-nil lead in best-of-7 playoff series 921. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Indiana Pacers have a 6-0 overall series record and a 4-2 Game 2 record; when down 1-game-nil, the Boston Celtics have a 7-12 overall series record and a 12-7 Game 2 record.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2003-04 regular season, Indiana finished 25 games ahead of Boston. From 1947 through 2003, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 25 regular-season games, they have posted a 2-0 (1.000) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 921 is the 68th best-of-7 playoff series for Boston and the 13th for Indiana. In best-of-7 playoff series, Boston has a 51-16 series record, a 1-0 Prelim-round series record, and a 48-19 Game 1 record, while Indiana has a 6-6 record, a 0-1 Prelim-round record, and a 6-6 Game 1 record. Series 921 is the second best-of-7 meeting between Boston and Indiana. The first was best-of-7 playoff series 890 (in the 2003 NBA Preliminary round), which Boston won in six games. From 1947 through 2003, when when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by more than 17 regular-season games, they have posted a 24-0 (1.000) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. The 25-game regular-season differential between Boston and Indiana is tied for the second-largest differential between two NBA best-of-7 format playoff series opponents; in the context of that differential, a series victory by Boston would represent the greatest upset in best-of-7 NBA playoff history.