Gerald Green scored 18 points, Jae Crowder and Amir Johnson each had 16 points and Isaiah Thomas finished with 13 points and eight assists for Boston, who meet eighth-seeded Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs.
The Celtics finished the regular season at 53-29 after going 27-11 since January 24th. "They got a really good team; they're really good at what they do", added Butler. The Pacers, Heat and Bulls have yet to finish their games which will determine the seeding of the bottom two teams.
"The whole game", Butler said without hesitation.
"It's a real positive. But we'll talk about what was accomplished later". This feels both natural, since they're the No. 1 seed after all, and not, since this Celtics group has still never won a playoff series. Coming off a big win on the road against the Celtics, the Cavs yet again proved that they are still atop the mountain in the Eastern Conference.
They're obviously led by any-other-year-MVP-candidate Isaiah Thomas.
NOTES: Celtics coach Brad Stevens, pregame, on the importance of securing the top seed in the conference: "The most important thing is tonight's game". That's easier said than done against his good friend Jimmy Butler, who averaged 23.9 points per game this season along with 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. Cleveland visited Atlanta on Sunday afternoon with a one-game lead in the Eastern Conference for the No. 1 seed.
While that may be true, shutting down Thomas, or at least limiting him, will give the Bulls a solid chance at pulling off the first round upset. The Celtics are now preparing to face the #8 seed Chicago Bulls with Butler, Wade, and Rondo.
"This is the moment that Dwyane lives for", Hoiberg said. They just had a consistency issue as well. And to that, the Bulls' superstar says: Bring it on.
Cent Punched a Woman, Now She's Lawyered Up
This case is not the first time 50 Cent , real name Curtis Jackson , found himself in trouble for violence against a woman. When the G-Unit honcho extended his arm out he was grabbed and pulled into the crowd by an overzealous fan.
Magic 113, Pistons 109: Aaron Gordon had 32 points and 12 rebounds, Elfrid Payton scored 21 points and the Magic overcame a late-run by Detroit to win their season-finale.
"I'm just knocking on wood and praying I'm healthy so I can have good playoff series", he said. Asking Rajon Rondo or Wade to do that would be a bit much.
"We're a better team than we played at the end of the season". Doing it in a best-of-seven series might wear him down.
"And then I just said, basically, 'Let me know if it gets close,"' he said. "But when somebody comes out of nowhere and hits you with 20 or 30 points, now what?"
Behind Thomas' efforts on the court, the Celtics have gone great lengths and they may not be finished yet.
Last season, there were plenty of excuses for the C's failures in the playoffs. It's asking a lot from 35 year old Wade, who returned from an elbow injury faster than expected in hope of salvaging his debut season in his hometown of Chicago.
The Celtic who started the most games during the 2016-17 season? For the first time in six years, Boston controls the Atlantic Division.
He comes into these playoffs trying to work his way back from a broken right elbow that sidelined him for three weeks.
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