The Celtics are set up for an impressive playoff run

It’s wholesome for the Celtics to start this postseason with a problem. The balance in the Eastern Conference made it clear there can be no cinches within the first spherical, even when the Celtics had confronted troubled Orlando. The Magic’s dimension and physicality would have supplied resistance.

But coming off perhaps the best coaching job of his career, Joe Mazzulla will take the expertise of final 12 months’s playoff run, which ended abruptly in New York, they usually gained’t take this newest alternative for granted.

“The fact that we’re in the playoffs is part of the responsibility we have to the Celtics,” Mazzulla stated. “And whoever we play, we know we have to be at our best and we know they’re going to be at their best. Philly’s a great team as we saw throughout the season. To get to this point with all the injuries that they’ve had and to be where they are now is going to be a tough test for us. We have to be ready for it.”

These playoff moments ought to be cherished but it surely’s straightforward to take them for granted in Boston. The Celtics have reached the playoffs for 12 straight years, since Brad Stevens coached a workforce in his second season led by the likes of Isaiah Thomas, Jared Sullinger, and Avery Bradley to a 40-42 file and a first-round loss to LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

Only thrice within the 12-year playoff run have the Celtics not superior previous the primary spherical.There is a way of motivation in Boston for a number of causes, together with the surprising return of Tatum and a stunning season the place a gaggle of unheralded gamers mixed for 56 wins and picked up the No. 2 seed regardless of the presence of the Knicks, Cavaliers, and Magic, who all projected to finish ahead of the Celtics.

This has an opportunity to be one in all extra impressive playoff runs in membership historical past contemplating the circumstances.

“We want to be at our best by Game 1 but we also want to be in the mind frame of however long it takes, we’ve got to sit in this,” Mazzulla stated. “We’re playing against a great team. I feel good about our team. They’re great players, great people, and they care about winning.”

Here’s a preview of each playoff sequence decided earlier than Friday’s closing play-in video games, with a prediction. By the way in which, CELTICS in six over the 76ers.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Hawks vs. Knicks

The most fascinating sequence within the East as a result of the Hawks haven’t any worry of the Knicks and completed as one of many league’s hottest groups, successful 20 of their closing 26 video games. What makes the Hawks completely different from their Trae Young teams is the emergence of All-NBA candidate Jalen Johnson and Most Improved Player favourite Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The Hawks additionally function ace defender Dyson Daniels. But the Hawks lack bodily middle who can verify the expert Karl-Anthony Towns and rebounding machine Mitchell Robinson, which supplies the Knicks the determined benefit within the paint. The query is whether or not Atlanta can harness scoring maven Jalen Brunson, who can even change right into a distributor in key moments. This ought to be an entertaining matchup as a result of the Knicks have battled inconsistency in stretches and need to match the Hawks’ depth. New York has championship-caliber expertise and perhaps they want this kind of problem to start this postseason run. If the Knicks play up to their potential, they need to win this sequence. But in the event that they don’t … they may very well be combating for their lives in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. KNICKS in 6.

Raptors vs. Cavaliers

An missed sequence as a result of neither workforce brings actual buzz into the playoffs, this may very well be an intriguing matchup relying on which Raptors workforce reveals up. Is Toronto going to be content material with simply making the playoffs, or will it truly problem the Cavaliers with its physicality and scoring potential? The trio of Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, and RJ Barrett is past strong whereas Immanuel Quickley is streaky and Jakob Poeltl is a lunch-pail large man who can gobble up rebounds. The Raptors will want him towards the duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen because the Cavaliers enter this postseason with excessive expectations after final season’s second-round flameout. The backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden will get its share of buckets and assists, however the Cavaliers haven’t been utterly proper this season, therefore ending because the fourth seed. Can Harden shake off his previous playoff doldrums? The Raptors beat the Cavaliers in all three of their conferences this season, which is why apparently a number of gamers had been cheering of their locker room whereas watching the Celtics beat the Magic to create this first-round sequence. RAPTORS in 7.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Rockets vs. Lakers

This is a battle between one of many league’s most disappointing groups (see, Magic) and a workforce that may’t keep wholesome. The Rockets by no means discovered some extent guard to switch the injured Fred VanVleet and suffered as a consequence. Meanwhile, coach Ime Udoka continually difficult his workforce’s toughness and need actually hasn’t impacted successful. Houston’s core has stayed remarkably wholesome this season — 38-year-old Kevin Durant performed in 78 video games — however they had been unable to compete with the likes of the Thunder and Spurs within the West. Now they’ve an opportunity to eliminate the banged up Lakers behind Durant and Alperen Sengun. Yet there’s a doubt due to their maddening inconsistency and incapacity to attain. The Rockets are one of many league’s worst 3-point taking pictures groups and James thrives in conditions the place he and his workforce is doubted. Without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for at the least the primary few video games of the sequence with accidents, this will likely be James’s alternative to indicate he’s nonetheless one of many greats. But he’ll need assistance. It’s about time gamers corresponding to Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton lived up to their lottery choose standing. This may very well be a much more fascinating sequence than anticipated. LAKERS in 7.

Trail Blazers vs. Spurs

Portland has been one of many better-kept secrets and techniques within the NBA as a result of it garners little or no nationwide tv consideration, and its roster is full of gamers who aren’t precisely family names. Deni Avdija epitomizes that theme, as he’s the most effective gamers within the NBA that almost all followers by no means heard of. He led the Trail Blazers to their stunning play-in win over the Suns. With the likes of Jrue Holiday, Jerami Grant, and Toumani Camara, the Trail Blazers can present some sort of resistance to the dominant Spurs, however not all that a lot. San Antonio, behind MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama, is primed for a deep playoff run they usually have sufficient expertise to make this a fast sequence to organize for a possible second-round matchup with the Nuggets. San Antonio is wholesome, coming off a stellar common season and deep with Stephon Castle, Keldon Johnson, and Devin Vassell becoming a member of Wembanyama as major scorers. The solely probability Portland would have on this sequence is that if it catches the Spurs off guard in Games 1 and a pair of and takes home-court benefit. But these odds are slim. The Spurs ought to roll. SPURS in 5.

Timberwolves vs. Nuggets

This may very well be one of many extra fascinating sequence of the primary spherical due to the groups’ brewing rivalry and Minnesota’s success towards Denver previously. The Timberwolves knocked out the then-defending champion Nuggets within the convention semifinals in 2024 they usually aren’t afraid of Nikola Jokic and his crew. Anthony Edwards missed a number of video games towards the top of the season with knee points, and this Timberwolves workforce is wildly inconsistent, but it surely has sufficient uncooked expertise to compete with the Nuggets and drive a protracted sequence. The query for Denver is whether or not it has sufficient apart from Jokic to outrun the Timberwolves. Jokic averaged a triple-double for the second consecutive season and Jamal Murray is an All-Star, and their supporting solid has been sturdy, when wholesome. The key to the sequence may very well be the mix of Peyton Watson and Cameron Johnson, each of whom are plus defenders and canrelieve the strain off Jokic. Minnesota goes to wish an All-NBA caliber efficiency from Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert to return to his dominant defensive days for the Timberwolves to take this the gap. They are prone to fall simply brief. NUGGETS in SIX.

NOT PROMISING

When requested about the likely move by the Connecticut Sun to Houston, nonetheless possible as a result of it’s but to be accepted by the WNBA board of governors, commissioner Cathy Engelbert continued to reiterate that homeowners in Boston ought to have utilized for an enlargement franchise, and that may have positioned them in the identical line to accumulate a relocated franchise.

Engelbert insisted there have been no events for enlargement in Boston however the query is whether or not these potential homeowners had any concept the WNBA would permit groups in Connecticut and Boston. The actuality is the WNBA would relatively have Boston as an enlargement franchise when it decides to return to the Northeast.

And it’s nonetheless unsure how good of an concept is to return to a few earlier cities — Portland, Detroit, and Cleveland — that misplaced WNBA groups hoping time and growth made them a greater market, in the meantime leaving Boston out within the chilly.

“Let me address the Connecticut situation, as you know, coming off a significant expansion process for WNBA, we had 13 cities bidding on, remember, what we thought was one team that we would grant,” Engelbert stated. “Obviously, we’ve now announced Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia in ’28, ’29, and ’30. We did not receive a bid from the Boston market or the New England market, obviously with the Connecticut team there. The Mohegan Tribe then hired a banker to represent them in the potential sale. I think it started with a variety of options, a partial sale, a minority sale. Ultimately, they did reach agreement that you’ve read.”

Engelbert wouldn’t say when precisely Houston agreed to accumulate the Sun or whether or not there have been different cities concerned. We do know Tilman Fertitta, proprietor of the NBA’s Rockets and lined up to carry the WNBA again, was furious that Houston was omitted of the group of enlargement cities, and the Sun, who had been put available on the market by the Mohegan Tribe, had been fascinated by shifting the workforce shortly.

“Obviously, Connecticut has the opportunity under the sunset season,” Engelbert stated. “So I would say to the fans, support the Connecticut Sun this season. And it’s a great basketball state, obviously, for women’s basketball. Some would call it the center of women’s basketball with how successful UConn’s been over so many years. I would say stick with us. Stick with the WNBA. We know that fandom won’t go away.”

Engelbert supplied few particulars in regards to the location regardless of the league realizing about the opportunity of this transfer for months. The hope for any followers hoping for an WNBA workforce to align with the Celtics is to financial institution on league success and a brand new wave of enlargement. But 5 new groups starting is 2026 is fast progress, and the way the new boosted salaries will affect league economics stays unknown.

But the deal for Fertitta to accumulate the Suns must be defined extra in depth as a result of apart from resuscitating the Comets, the league’s first dynasty, there may be little sense to creating a transfer that leaves the Northeast and not using a workforce.

“I know they’re working through transition agreements,” Engelbert stated. “I know this year they will play their games at Mohegan [Sun Arena]. I’m sure whenever there’s a transition like that, there’s transition service agreements in place. I’m sure they’re talking a lot about management and GMs and coaches and things like that, both in Houston and Connecticut. Again, we don’t have a ton of visibility as they finalize that agreement and it comes to us for a vote.”

The elimination of Marc Eversley and Arturas Karnisovas leaves a serious void within the Bulls’ entrance workplace but additionally might imply the top of the Billy Donovan period in Chicago. Bulls proprietor Jerry Reinsdorf is an admirer of Donovan, who was voted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2025. But Donovan has loved little success with the Bulls and it could be time for a change for either side. Despite his lack of successful in Chicago, Donovan would garner curiosity from different golf equipment ought to he be a training free agent. The Bulls do have an upside, nonetheless. With the Trail Blazers successful their play-in sport towards the Suns, Portland is formally a playoff workforce, which means their 2026 first-round choose goes to the Bulls. That comes from a 2021 three-team sign-and-trade that despatched Lauri Markkanen from Chicago to Cleveland, with the Bulls buying Derrick Jones Jr. and a lottery-protected first-round choose, and that choose has become this 12 months’s Portland first-rounder, which supplies the Bulls two first-round picks. There is sufficient cap area to signal a most free agent with gamers corresponding to Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Zach Collins, and Jaden Ivey off the books. But first, the Bulls need to discover a normal supervisor … The Heat could have work to do within the offseason however wage cap-wise, they don’t have lots of area to signal free brokers. Despite lastly waiving the troubled Terry Rozier and his $26 million wage and with Norman Powell ($20 million) and Simone Fontecchio ($8 million) coming off the books, the Heat need to pay Bam Adebayo and Nikola Jovic a mixed $26 million in raises. The membership has curiosity in bringing Powell again. He match properly into the system however handled a sequence of accidents. But as common, the Heat will attempt to chase an All-Star by trades to expedite their rebuilding course of … Dalano Banton made a optimistic impression on his earlier employer as the Celtics brought back the swingman for a 3rd time, this time including him to the playoff roster. He performed a task in Boston’s beautiful season-ending win over the Magic. The Celtics had an open roster spot and already transformed the contract of Ron Harper Jr. to an ordinary NBA workforce together with Amari Williams and Max Shulga.

Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He could be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.