Celtics clinch playoff berth with Bulls win over Nets

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BOSTON – The Celtics are in the playoffs! The Celtics are in the playoffs! The Celtics are in the playoffs!

While it would have certainly felt a lot better clinching a playoff berth at the TD Garden, the Boston Celtics will take a trip to the postseason any way it comes.

The Celtics are headed to the postseason after Chicago’s 113-86 romp over Brooklyn.

Boston’s final two games will determine whether they will open against top-seed Atlanta or the No. 2 seed Cleveland Cavaliers.

Either matchup will feature a Celtics team coming in as an underdog.

But Boston being in the postseason in Year 2 of the team’s rebuilding process is significant on many levels.

As a number of players have expressed recently, there was no clear sense that a postseason trip would be coming about this season.

When CSNNE.com asked Gerald Wallace about whether he anticipated this team being in a playoff chase this late in the season, Wallace said, “No. No. I didn’t think so. I didn’t think so this year.”

But as the season progressed, Wallace saw a Celtics squad that steadily improved in time.

The catalyst for Boston’s turnaround can be traced to their play after the Feb. 19 trade deadline passed.

That is when they acquired Isaiah Thomas who on Monday was named the Eastern Conference player of the week after leading the Celtics to a perfect 3-0 week – the second time he has received that award since joining the Celtics.

Throughout the turbulent ups and downs of the season which included trading away the team’s top scorer (Jeff Green) and top assist man (Rajon Rondo), head coach Brad Stevens never let this team get too high on their success or too low when they struggled.

And that even-keeled approach has served this team well as they come into Tuesday’s game – with a playoff spot secured – wanting to be greedy and extend their winning streak which stands at four in a row now.

“It’s been so much transition since I came here, especially this year with all the guys that came in and went out, the trades that have been going on,” Wallace told CSNNE.com. “Somehow Brad has done a great job of maintaining this team, keeping us above water and keeping us focused on our goal.”

 

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