ATLANTA (AP) – Bring on Philly.
The Boston Celtics finally finished off the Atlanta Hawks, winning the opening round in six games victory, 128-120 Thursday night.
Now, the second-seeded Celtics can turn their attention to the well-rested Philadelphia 76ers for a matchup between the two higher-seeded teams on the conference’s eastern side.
Game 1 Monday night in Boston.
“We know they’re going to bring the fray,” Boston star Jaylen Brown said. “It’s going to be fun. They (have) some great players in Joel Embiid and James Harden. It’s going to be a test again. We have to be ready to fight again. I’m ready for that. I can’t wait.”
With the number one seed Milwaukee coming off amazingly Miamithe winner of the Celtics-76ers will definitely be seen as a big favorite to advance to the NBA Finals.
The Celtics have been in championship or trophy status since losing to Golden State in last year’s Finals.
This was evident in the closing minutes against the Hawks, who folded An unlikely return In the previous game in Boston to extend the series.
Atlanta looked poised to force a Game 7 until the Celtics were overwhelmed by defense and lost 11-0 by an inning to open up a game that was tight all the way.
“I thought our guys did a great job at the end of just locking up,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzola. They wanted to win. They kept the momentum, the energy, the edge of the game, and executed. “
Working quickly with the Nets, third seed Philadelphia was able to give Embiid some extra time to rest his ailing right knee. The 76ers haven’t played since last Saturday.
Embiid injured his lateral collateral ligament in Game 3 against the Nets. He didn’t play in the playoff series, and the 76ers haven’t said if he’s ready to take on Boston.
Obviously, Embiid availability will be a huge factor, especially considering how close these teams are during the regular season.
The Boston team won three out of four meetings, but the margin was single-digit per game. The Celtics (57-25) finished just three games ahead of Philadelphia (54-28) in the conference standings.
Brown, who averaged 26.7 points in the opening round, said a tougher-than-expected challenge from the Hawks should benefit the Celtics in the future.
“In the playoffs, you have basketball, you have execution, and you just have the fight going like that,” he said. “Atlanta may not have all the X’s and Os, but they fought us. Their offense bounced back with us. They played hard, had effort, used their athleticism. They didn’t back down from any challenges. That’s what we needed to step up.”
For Mazzola, it was nice to have a playoff victory under his belt.
He was humiliatingly commended for the work he had done under trying circumstances, Takes over the main position after Ime Udoka is suspended and then fired For an inappropriate relationship with an employee of the Celtics.
Mazzola blamed himself for the Celtics squandering a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 5, denying them a chance to finish the series on their home court.
But he made all the right calls in Game 6, especially on defensive end as the Celtics mixed up and turned their coverage to smother Hawks star Trae Young.
“He’s been great all season – just managing the characters, managing the matches.” Said All-Star Jason Tatum. “He always finds a way to keep his poise. That’s important. When things are going well, stay the same. When things aren’t going well, stay the same.”
“He did an amazing job.”
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