Celtics clinch No. 2
The Boston Celtics have clinched the Eastern Conference No. 2 seed, but their first‑round opponent will be decided by Sunday’s remaining results. (bostonherald.com). Local coverage lists three possible opponents the Celtics could draw depending on final‑day outcomes. (bostonherald.com)
Boston has locked up the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed, but the Celtics will not know their first-round opponent until the play-in tournament sorts out the East’s No. 7 line. (nba.com) The Celtics clinched that spot Friday, April 10, by beating New Orleans 144-118 at TD Garden. Boston tied the National Basketball Association single-game record with 29 made three-pointers in the win and improved to 55-26. (espn.com) The postseason calendar is set around that finish: the regular season ends Sunday, April 12, the SoFi play-in tournament runs April 14-17, and the playoffs open April 18. Boston’s series will be against the East’s eventual No. 7 seed, not a team locked in on Sunday night. (nba.com) That matters because the East’s middle tier is still moving. National Basketball Association playoff scenarios published Saturday said Toronto, Orlando and Philadelphia were all still alive for the No. 6 seed, while seeds No. 5 through No. 10 in the conference were not fully set entering the finale. (nba.com) For Boston, the realistic pool is narrow. Local and regional coverage said the Celtics’ possible first-round opponents had been cut to three teams: the Orlando Magic, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors. (bostonherald.com, 985thesportshub.com) The basic path is simple. If a team finishes sixth, it skips the play-in and cannot face Boston in the first round; the teams that finish seventh and eighth play for the No. 7 seed, and that winner draws the Celtics. (nba.com, nba.com) Sunday’s games explain the uncertainty. Orlando closes at Boston, Toronto hosts Brooklyn, and Philadelphia hosts Milwaukee, with those results deciding which of the three gets the last guaranteed playoff berth and which two are pushed into the 7-versus-8 play-in game. (nba.com, nba.com) Boston is treating that finale like a rest day. The Boston Herald reported Saturday that the Celtics were expected to sit all five starters and most top reserves against Orlando after securing the No. 2 seed. (bostonherald.com) So the Celtics have their seed, their dates and their side of the bracket. The only missing piece is which of Orlando, Philadelphia or Toronto survives the East’s final shuffle and arrives in Boston for Game 1. (nba.com, bostonherald.com)
