The Celtics are still waiting on their first round opponent but the NBA released their full schedule for the opening round on Wednesday morning. Boston will open their playoff run at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon with a 1 p.m. matchup against the No. 8 seed in the East.
The early start time will be a quick turnaround for the eventual No. 8 seed winner who will also play on Friday night as part of the play-in tournament. One of the 76ers, Heat, Hawks and Bulls will win that spot depending on the results of the play-in which start tonight for the Eastern Conference with head-to-head matchups for the 76ers vs. Heat and Hawks vs. Bulls.
Here’s a look at the full schedule:
Game 1: 1 p.m. Sunday, April 21 at TD Garden in Boston on ESPN
Game 2: 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 24 at TD Garden in Boston on TNT
Game 3: 6 p.m. Saturday, April 27 at TBA on TNT
Game 4: TBD Monday, April 29 at TBA on TNT
Game 5*: TBD Wednesday, May 1 at TD Garden in Boston on TBD
Game 6*: TBD Friday, May 3 at TBA on TBD
Game 7*: TBD, Sunday, May 5 at TD Garden in Boston on TNT
Boston had a terrific regular season this year against their potential first round opponents. The Celtics swept the season series against the Bulls 3-0 and split their matchups against the Hawks this year 2-2, including two losses back in March while playing shorthanded.
A challenging first round matchup could also loom for Boston depending on the result of the 76ers vs. Heat play-in matchup for the No. 7 seed. Philadelphia ended up in a three-way tie for 5th but fell down to 7th due to tiebreakers but they closed out their season on a seven-game winning streak after Joel Embiid returned from knee surgery. Boston has gone 3-1 against them this season in head-to-head matchups.
The Celtics also went 3-0 against the Heat in the regular season this year but a playoff matchup would likely be a tougher road based on the recent past. Boston and Miami have battled in two straight Eastern Conference Finals with Boston winning in seven games in 2022 and the Heat pulling off the upset last year.
The playoffs officially kick off on Saturday April 20.