‘It’s time to get some rest & get ready for Philly’: Celtics advance to 2nd round of NBA playoffs

BOSTON — The Celtics advance to the next round of the playoffs after beating the Atlanta Hawks on their home court last night. Boston will take on Philadelphia in the next round — and with the number one seed, the Milwaukee Bucks already out, that means the Celtics now have homecourt advantage for the rest of their playoff run.

The Celtics came out strong last night — but Atlanta fought back and made them work. It wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter that Boston got a comfortable lead again. They closed out the series with a 128 to 120 win. Atlanta native Jaylen Brown talked about how he always dreamed of playing in the NBA and how special it was to get a win in his hometown.

“When I was 7 years old, my aunt bought me tickets and I remember sitting in the nosebleeds and fast forward 19, 20 years later to being in the playoffs and advancing to the next round is a blessing and there’s probably a kid, a 7-year-old watching me today, probably feeling the same way I was feeling and my message to him is good luck I’ll be waiting,” said Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown.

After the game, Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum talked about how the playoffs bring out the best in each player and team — and outcomes are often unpredictable.

“I know the narrative we were supposed to sweep them it was supposed to be a cakewalk but you know the playoffs, that’s why it’s so special, each game is different, each series is different,” said Tatum. “Now it’s time to get some rest and get ready for Philly, not looking past them it’s going to be tough they’ve had some time off so it just starts with game one and get ready for that.”

Boston does get a little rest before their next series against the 76ers, here’s a look at the schedule:

• Game one: Philadelphia at Boston Monday at 7:30 p.m.
• Game two: Philadelphia at Boston Wednesday at 8 p.m.
• Game three: Boston at Philadelphia Friday at 7:30 p.m.
• Game four: Boston at Philadelphia Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

A familiar face is coming back to the T.D. Garden — former Celtic’s head coach Doc Rivers is the head coach of the 76ers. This will be the 22nd time the Celtics and 76ers have met in the NBA playoffs, and the C’s have the upper hand, winning 14 of the series.

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