April 18th marked the beginning of every avid basketball fan’s favorite time of the year: the start of the National Basketball Association playoffs. Ending in mid-June, the two-month span is one of the most exciting in sports, even for non-basketball fans. First, a play-in round is held, featuring the seventh through tenth seeds. The two winners of that series move on to the first round. The top eight teams in each conference play a best-of-seven series against each other, and the winner advances to the conference semi-finals, the conference finals, and then the NBA finals.
Every game is exciting and brings an electric environment, either in the stadium or just watching from home. Sophomore Nick Bigelow said, “I enjoy watching the players compete at the highest level, especially since the regular season can be a difficult watch.”
One team in particular has exceeded expectations significantly: The Boston Celtics. Most critics assumed the Celtics would tank this year after superstar Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon in last year’s playoffs, but that was not the case. Tatum’s co-star, Jaylen Brown, stepped up and finished the year in Most Valuable Player discussions. While Brown made the most notable impact, every player played their role well, and the Celtics earned the two seed for the playoffs.
The Celtics took on the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night in a game four matchup in Pennsylvania. Already winning the series 2-1, the win would be crucial in advancing to the next round of the playoffs, and the Celtics won big.
They dominated the whole game, winning 128-96, a monstrous 32-point win to extend their series lead to 3-1. Sophomore Beckett Williams said, “It was fun to watch the Celtics dominate a team capable of winning big games. Seeing them win big gave me hope for a deep playoff run.”
All of the Celtics players put up notable performances. Payton Pritchard had 32 points and knocked down six of the Celtics 24 made three pointers. Jayson Tatum had 30 points and 11 rebounds in another big game.
Star center Joel Embiid made his return for the 76ers and got off to a hot start, scoring their first eight points. He withered quickly after his amazing start, but still ended with 26 points in his return after having an appendectomy. Star guard Tyrese Maxey got off to a slow start but ended up finishing with 22 points, although it was not enough to make the game close.
Everything seemed to be going the Celtics’ way as Payton Pritchard hit a signature buzzer beater in the first, this time off of one leg. The Celtics won the first quarter 34-18, the second quarter 22-20, the third quarter 39-36, and the fourth quarter 33-22.
The Celtics dropped the next two games, disappointing many fans as they should have won the series in five games. The Celtics host the 76ers in a game seven matchup on Saturday, May 2 at 7:30 P.M. Boston fans are hopeful for a big win to advance to the next round.
