Since entering the NBA in 2016, Jaylen Brown has appeared in more conference finals than LeBron James or Stephen Curry.

The Celtics have been an Eastern Conference contender for nearly the entirety of Brown’s pro career, thanks in large part to the talents of himself and Jayson Tatum, who was drafted one year later.

But unlike James and Curry, Boston’s franchise headliners have yet to lead their team to an NBA championship. The Celtics have reached the Finals just once in the Brown/Tatum era — a six-game loss to Curry’s Warriors in 2022 — and still are seeking their elusive first title since 2008.

Will this season be different? That’s the ever-present question facing these Celtics as they prepare to tip off the Eastern Conference finals — Brown’s sixth and Tatum’s fifth — Tuesday night against the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden.

The answer should be “yes.” Boston was by far the NBA’s best team during a dominant 64-win regular season, and it’s faced little resistance thus far in the playoffs, going 8-2 in a pair of gentleman’s sweeps against Miami and Cleveland.

The Celtics also benefited from injuries that hobbled several of their top challengers in the East — most notably the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks — and from the reigning champion Denver Nuggets’ early exit out West. They’re the clear betting favorite to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy, with oddsmakers pegging the Pacers as extreme long shots.

Brown was asked Monday what makes him believe this Celtics team can finish the job. His response: “More experience.”

“It’s definitely different,” Brown said. “We’re a lot older and (learned from) some of those previous experiences. Everybody loves to say it’s the same thing, same team. But each and every year we’ve grown, each and every year we’ve learned, each and every year we’ve gotten older, more mature, and this is a different mix.”

“Experienced” isn’t a word one would use to describe Indiana.

Before upsetting the Bucks and Knicks to reach the East finals as a No. 6 seed, the Pacers hadn’t won a playoff series since 2014. Most of their rotation — including 24-year-old All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton — is experiencing a deep postseason run for the first time, though they did add some championship mettle with a January trade for veteran Pascal Siakam.

Siakam, who won a title with Toronto in 2019, leads Indiana in points and rebounds this postseason, outpacing the hot-and-cold Haliburton.

The Pacers won two of their five meetings with the Celtics during the regular season — including one win that knocked the C’s out of the In-Season Tournament — and can give opponents fits with their pace and shooting ability. Indiana ranked second behind Boston in offensive rating, and its 50.7% team-wide field-goal percentage was the best by any NBA club since the 1994-95 Utah Jazz.

Defense, though, could be the difference-maker in this series. Boston ranked second in defensive rating — trailing only one of the West finalists, Minnesota — while Indiana was 24th, a distant last among the 16 playoff qualifiers.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has lauded his team’s defensive improvement after a miserable start to the season, but Indiana still has allowed more points per game than all but three teams in these playoffs.

“I think you have to have an understanding of what your opponent has the ability to do,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “You have to take away their strengths. You have to know and anticipate their adjustments, and at the same time, 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 that they’re here for a reason. They’re a great team.”

A familiar face

Two years ago, Aaron Nesmith looked like a Celtics draft bust. Now, he’s an every-game starter for a conference finalist.

Drafted 14th overall by Boston in 2020, Nesmith struggled to find a foothold in his two seasons as a Celtic, making just four starts and averaging 12.7 minutes per game. But since being dealt to Indiana in the Malcolm Brogdon trade, the 24-year-old has become a solid, reliable role player.

Nesmith has started 120 games since the start of last season, including all 13 contests during the Pacers’ current playoff run. He’s still not a stat-sheet-stuffer (12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds per game this season) but can be an occasional offensive catalyst.

Boston witnessed that firsthand back in January, when Nesmith played 41 minutes, scored 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out seven assists in a five-point Pacers loss at TD Garden.

In Sunday’s Game 7 win over the Knicks, Nesmith didn’t miss a shot, going 8-for-8 from the floor and 2-for-2 from three as he set a playoff career high with 19 points.

“I’m super proud of Aaron for his growth,” Brown said. “It seems like he’s found himself in the league. I remember we used to work out together — me, him and Joe — over here on one of the side baskets, so I’m proud of his growth and what he’s been able to do.”

Mazzulla kept his comments on Nesmith’s emergence brief.

“Great player, great person,” the coach said.

Latest on Porzingis

Kristaps Porzingis has yet to fully recover from the calf strain that caused him to miss the last six games. The 7-foot-2 big man isn’t expected to play in Games 1 and 2 against the Pacers, according to an ESPN report, and Mazzulla said he did not practice with the team on Monday.

“But I know he’s working hard trying to come back, whether it’s in the weight room, whether it’s on the medical table,” Mazzulla added. “I haven’t seen much of what he does on the court. But I know he’s working really hard to come back as fast as he can.”

The Celtics reportedly are optimistic that Porzingis will be able to return at some point during the conference finals. Brown expects a “seamless transition” once Porzingis is healthy enough to rejoin the lineup.

“KP’s been great,” Brown said. “Still been very active getting at every practice, making sure he’s still involved at every team huddle and just staying in the mix mentally, even though physically, he’s not really fully there yet. Mentally, he’s still been engaged and that’s a great sign. When his body catches up to full health, we’ll be ready to rock and roll.”