Celtics Can Expect To Play 1 Of These 3 Teams NBA Playoffs originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Celtics have far exceeded this humble fan’s expectations for what a season (mostly) without superstar Jayson Tatum would look like. They are now one win away from clinching the two seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Playoffs.

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Due to the NBA’s first-round play-in rules, it is nearly impossible to prepare for a potential No. 7 seed opponent. That is because whoever sits in the No. 7 seed and No. 8 seed when the NBA regular season ends will play eachother for the right to play the Celtics in the first round.

Their opponent will be a mystery until the play-in tournament takes place, but as it sits right now, Celtics fans can expect one of these three teams.

Charlotte Hornets

Of all the teams the Celtics can land, this would be the worst-case scenario. The Hornets are a different team than their 43-47 record would indicate. At 27-8, they have the second-best record in the entire league since January 22, behind only Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs. The Celtics were blown out by Charlotte in the first meeting of the season, but have comfortably won both meetings since.

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Philadelphia 76ers

This might be the matchup Boston fans want the most. The Celtics have made a tradition of beating the 76ers in the playoffs, and it could continue this year. Philadelphia has turned it around, but even at 43-36, they do not inspire much fear. The season series is tied at two, but the Celtics got the last laugh with an early March rout.

Toronto Raptors

The Raptors are currently the highest-seeded of the bunch, but could easily slip into the bottom two seeds. They, too, are playing good ball late in the season, but they do not match up well with the Celtics. Boston has beaten them in all four matchups this season.

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