The Boston Celtics beat the Washington Wizards 115-105 in game seven of the NBA Eastern Conference Semi-Finals on Monday Night. Isaiah Thomas led the way with his 29 points and 12 assists and the Celtics got strong support from the bench in the form of Center Kelly Olynyk and his 26 points.
The Celtics and Wizards had played each other 11 times this season and in each game, the home team has come up victorious. That held true on Monday night, But the Wizards did not go down without a fight. The Washington dynamic duo of Bradley Beal and John Wall looked pumped and ready to play and play they did. Wall scored 18 points while finding his open teammates for 11 assists. Beal had a herculean effort scoring 38 points while playing 44 minutes of the game.
But all was not as Thomas and the Celtics caught fire at the end of the third quarter and seemed to be gaining momentum and energy from the crowd. Boston down by six points outscored the Wizards 22-5 to take the lead in the final quarter. In the second half of the game, the Celtics outscored the Wizards 62-50 and sent Washington packing.
Boston head coach Brad Stevens had to be happy with the bench support that came up big in the win. Besides the 26 points from Olynyk, Marcus Smart added 13 points and Jaylen Brown added 9.Six Celtics in total scored in double figures including Al Horford’s’ 15 and Jae Crowder’s fourteen.
The Celtics the number one seed in the Eastern Conference now move on and face the second seed and defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers. During the regular season, the Cavaliers have won 3 out of the 4 games played. Two of the Cav’s wins against the Celtics were blowouts, The lone loss was by four points on Bostons home Court. Wednesday night the top seeds in the East will tip off Game one in Boston.
Tonight the Celtics have a chance to improve their future before the current season ends. Boston Co-Owner Wyc Grousbeck will represent the Celtics in New York for the annual NBA Draft lottery. Boston because of the 2013 Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett trade with the Brooklyn Nets will have the best shot at winning the number one overall pick in this years NBA Draft.
| TEAM | NO. 1 (%) | TOP 2 (%) | TOP 3 (%) | TOP 4 (%) | TOP 5 (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Boston Celtics (via Nets) | 25.0 | 46.5 | 64.3 | >99.9 | >99.9 |
 |
Phoenix Suns | 19.9 | 38.7 | 55.8 | 87.7 | >99.9 |
 |
Los Angeles Lakers | 15.6 | 31.3 | 46.9 | *Note2 | *Note2 |
 |
Philadelphia 76ers | 11.9 | 24.5 | 37.8 | 47.7 | 82.7 |
 |
Orlando Magic | 8.8 | 18.5 | 29.1 | 29.1 | 55.3 |
 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 5.3 | 11.3 | 18.3 | 18.3 | 18.3 |
 |
New York Knicks | 5.3 | 11.3 | 18.3 | 18.3 | 18.3 |
 |
Sacramento Kings | *Note3 | 6.1 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 9.9 |
 |
Dallas Mavericks | 1.7 | 3.7 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 6.1 |
 |
New Orleans Pelicans | 1.1 | 2.4 | 4.0 | *Note4 | *Note4 |
 |
Charlotte Hornets | 0.8 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
 |
Detroit Pistons | 0.7 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
 |
Denver Nuggets | 0.6 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.2 |
 |
Miami Heat | 0.5 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
(Odds Chart from ESPN.COm ) NOTE:
1. BOS can swap first-round picks with BKN.
2. LAL will send first-round pick to PHI if it falls outside top 3.
3. PHI can swap picks with SAC inside top 10.If SAC pick falls out of top 10, it will go to CHI.
4. NO will send first-round pick to SAC if it falls outside top 3.
Talking about the rich getting richer, But there is still the task at hand and that is getting past the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Trevin A Jones
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