Not unlike their wait for the eventual Play-In Tournament winner, the Celtics will have to be patient until the final day of the first round to find out their next opponent.
After the Heat defeated the Bulls on April 19th, Boston had two days to complete final preparations for the eight-seeded Miami. They’ll have that same planning schedule for Round 2. By holding court beating the Cavaliers in Game 6 on Friday night, the Magic have forced a Game 7 on Sunday in Cleveland and subsequently for the winner, pushing back a date with the Celtics.
It doesn’t necessarily give Kristaps Porzingis more time to heal from his calf injury. The Eastern Conference semis from Game 3 on were always set to start on Saturday, May 11th. However, had the Cavs clinched the series in Orlando last night, Game 1 would have been on Sunday with Game 2 on Tuesday; now, the Celtics will instead host Game 1 on Tuesday and Game 2 on Thursday at TD Garden. After nearly a week break, Boston and whoever their opponent will be will now play every other day in their seven-game series.
Porzingis is slated to be reevaluated sometime before hitting the road to either Orlando or Cleveland. However, all reports suggest that he’ll be out the entire second round recovering from a right soleus strain.
On the other side of the bracket, the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers kickoff their series on Monday, May 6th.
