The Boston Celtics will have to attempt to close out their third consecutive series without their starting center. Kristaps Porzingis was ruled out for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals due to a strained right calf.

The Celtics lead the Indiana Pacers 3-0, which means Boston can afford to play it safe with Porzingis. He's been out since getting injured in Game 4 of the first round against the Miami Heat on April 29.

If Boston closes out Indiana in Game 4, their next game won't be until Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 6. If the Pacers win, the series shifts back to Boston and Porzingis could play in Game 5 on Wednesday, May 29.

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is listed as questionable for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Haliburton is dealing with a sore left hamstring. The re-injury occurred in the third quarter of Game 2. Haliburton missed Game 3 due to the injury.

It's been reported that Haliburton is unlikely to play in Game 4. The Pacers trail the Boston Celtics 3-0 in the series.

The NBA on TNT is running an alternate broadcast during the Western Conference Finals. Instead of traditional play-by-play and analysis, the broadcast on truTV is conversational and there are a variety of guests.

During Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, one of the guests was Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. Paul is perhaps most famously known at LeBron James' agent, and he may have given some insight into James' initial plans for this offseason.

"LeBron is a free agent," Paul said about his most famous client. Paul then clarified that the Los Angeles Lakers have to hire who they want as their next head coach and that James has always played for whoever his coach is.

When asked by TNT's Chris Haynes to clarify if that meant it was decided that James would decline his player option for the 2024-25 season with the Lakers, Paul said that decision hadn't been made yet. James can decline his option and become a free agent. He's also eligible to pick up the option and to sign an extension.

"I don't know what he's gonna do," Paul said. "We're gonna do what we do every year. We're gonna evaluate the situation and we're gonna make the best decision."

The New Orleans Pelicans had trade talks with the Atlanta Hawks for both Dejounte Murray and Trae Young ahead of the trade deadline. Those talks are expected to resume this summer.

While New Orleans has interest in both Hawks point guards, sources indicate that the Pelicans prefer to swing a deal for Murray. Murray has a more team-friendly contract, and he's a better defender than Young is.

Some have suggested that New Orleans star Zion Williamson would like to play with Young. The star guard's father even went on social media making a similar suggest that Young and Williamson would like to play together.

The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly looking to upgrade their guard rotation. The Pelicans are looking at trading for a point guard. The team is expected to resume trade talks with the Cleveland Cavaliers, after discussing deals ahead of the trade deadline.

The Pelicans target is reportedly Darius Garland. It's been reported that Garland will seek a trade from the Cavaliers if the team extends Donovan Mitchell. It's likely that a New Orleans offer for the veteran guard would involve Brandon Ingram and his $36 million expiring contract.

Garland has four years and $163.2 million left on his contract. The deal is fully guaranteed with no options, with $36.7 million owed in 2024-25.

Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson is considered to be the leader to be the next Cleveland Cavaliers head coach. Atkinson worked with Cavaliers players Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert when he was the Brooklyn Nets head coach.

Another candidate to keep an eye on is New York Knicks assistant coach Johnnie Bryant. Bryant was an assistant with the Utah Jazz when current Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell was there.

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is also reportedly more involved in hiring the team's next head coach than originally anticipated. Gilbert has been heavily involved in the hiring process at other points during his tenure. However, Gilbert was relatively hands-off when Cleveland hired JB Bickerstaff as the full-time head coach four years ago.

Panathinaikos won the 2024 EuroLeague Championship with a 95-80 victory over Real Madrid on Sunday. This is the seventh EuroLeague title for Panathinaikos 

Guard Kostas Sloukas was named the EuroLeague Final Four MVP. He finished with 24 points in the title game. Kendrick Nunn scored 21 points, Mathias Lessort scored 17 points, while Jerian Grant added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Dzanan Musa led Real Madrid with 15 points.

Host Danny Leroux talks with Jared Dubin of Last Night in Basketball about the playoffs and Fred Katz of The Athletic about the Knicks.

Dubin and Leroux discuss both Conference Finals series and other playoff takeaways. After that, the “Exit Interview” series continues as Katz joins to break down what happened to the Knicks’ season and where they go from here, including Jalen Brunson’s ascendance, their fascinating offseason and much more.

Subscribe to RealGM Radio on Apple Podcasts or via the RSS feed. 

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is expected to miss Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals due to a left hamstring injury. Haliburton re-injured his hamstring in the second half of Game 2.

The Pacers trail the Boston Celtics 2-0 in the series. Indiana lost both Games 1 and 2 in Boston.

Haliburton missed 10 games in January due to his initial hamstring strain. He was then limited for several games leading up to the All-Star break.

Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday is questionable to play in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals due to a non-COVID illness. Holiday has been one of Boston's best players as they've taken a 2-0 series lead over the Indiana Pacers.

Holiday has averaged 21.5 points, five rebounds and nine assists per game in the Celtics two wins over the Pacers. Indiana has tried to put their lesser defenders on Holiday throughout the first two games, and Boston has played through the veteran guard repeatedly.

The Celtics have already ruled out starting center Kristaps Porzingis, as he continues to recover from a calf straight. Backup center Luke Kornet is doubtful to play, due to a sprained wrist. Tyrese Haliburton is questionable for the Pacers, due to a sore left hamstring.