The Boston Celtics finished the regular season with a record of 53-29, better than the 51-31 record of the champion Cleveland Cavaliers, and much stronger than the 41-41 Chicago Bulls who squeaked into the last spot in the playoffs.
Despite a sleepy start and a stiff challenge early on from the undermanned Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics won their regular season finale at home to clinch the number one seed in the Eastern Conference.
While Butler and Thomas won't guard one another, they will have the game within the game battle of which All-Star can lead their team to the second-round.
Bulls' guard Jimmy Butler has the sound of someone that will be a part of the team's plan to guard Thomas. In addition to this, the Celtics overall talent with rising superstar point guard Isaiah Thomas, as well as pieces around him like power forward Al Horford, small forward Jae Crowder, and shooting guard Avery Bradley vastly outweighs the talent of the Heat, Indiana Pacers, and the Bulls.
If there's one obvious advantage the Bulls possess in this first-round matchup, it's playoff experience.
Spencer Hawes and Michael Beasley each had 15 points for Milwaukee, who had already claimed the sixth seed in the East following a Hawks victory Tuesday.
"For three quarters, it was a ballgame. Fatigue got us a little bit", said Bucks coach Jason Kidd, who was pleased to come out of the game without any injuries.
Atlanta Hawks vs Washington Wizards NBA Playoffs 2017 schedule
John Wall (32/5/9) and Bradley Beal (31/3/3) combined for 63 points and Marcin Gortat (14/10/3) double-doubled in the win. The Wizards have now won four straight meetings with the Hawks, covering the spread in three of those four victories.
It doesn't matter how both teams got here, they're here.
Milwaukee travels to Toronto on Saturday for Game 1 of their best-of-seven series. The unified Celtics hold a huge lead in terms of cameraderie and morale over the scuffling Bulls, and they also have the East's leading closer in Thomas (9.8 points per fourth quarter). (10) after Prince was introduced in the starting lineup before the Hawks game against the Boston Celtics at Philips Arena. The Pacers, Heat and Bulls have yet to finish their games which will determine the seeding of the bottom two teams.
NOTES: Celtics coach Brad Stevens, on the importance of securing the top seed in the conference: "The most important thing is tonight's game".
1 seed when I got here (February of 2015), I know that for a fact. "But that wasn't the deciding factor in any moves". "I've never been a No. 1 seed", said Thomas, who was picked last in the 2011 NBA Draft but finished third in the league in scoring this term with 28.9 points per game - behind Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Thomas couldn't have been happier about getting the conference's top seed. "I feel very strong about this group".
"I look forward to that matchup", Butler said after Friday's practice.
These two final games of the regular season will mean a lot in terms of NBA Playoffs. Antetokounmpo, 22, is the first player in National Basketball Association history to finish in the top 20 in total points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks in a single season. Afterward, he said he was "100 percent". If not, then we'll do it over and over again 'til somebody is there if I'm beat.
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