The Boston Celtics are heading to the Eastern Conference Finals after eliminating the Washington Wizards with a Game 7 win Monday. It wrapped up a thrilling seven-game series that leaves the Celtics to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the next round.
Celtics vs. Wizards 2017: Schedule, scores, predictions, and news from Round 2 of NBA Playoffs
The Celtics won the series in seven games.
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
With a loss in Game 5 to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, the Wizards were in must-win territory at home for Game 6, which they won to force the deciding game.
The Wizards and Celtics don’t like each other. First, John Wall forearm shoved Marcus Smart into the ground. Then, he and Jae Crowder got into a poking match after a game. It led to Boston police standing between the two locker rooms as the Wizards and Celtics jawed back and forth after their Jan. 11 matchup.
In their following game, the Wizards players arrived dressed in all black. The reason? Wall said the game was “a funeral,” and Washington buried them, 123-108.
Boston also won out on the Al Horford sweepstakes, signing him to a max contract during a free-agency period where Washington was also courting him.
“He’s a perfect fit,” Crowder said, according to MassLive. “That’s what we were telling him. He had Washington and some other teams looking at him, but we beat them four times this year. You don’t want to go there.”
The rivalry raged on in the playoffs.
Isaiah Thomas accidentally had his front tooth knocked out in Game 1 before nearly fracturing his jaw in Game 2. Kelly Olynyk set two hard, illegal screens on Kelly Oubre Jr., who got up and charged at the Celtics' forward, knocking him to the ground. Oubre was ejected and suspended one game. The two sides jawed back and forth all series long. Eventually, Olynyk broke out as Boston hung on.
Series Schedule
Game 1: Boston 123, Washington 111 (recap)
Game 2: Boston 129, Washington 119 (recap)
Game 3: Washington 116, Boston 89 (recap)
Game 4: Washington 121, Boston 102 (recap)
Game 5: Boston 123, Washington 101 (recap)
Game 6: Washington 92, Boston 91 (recap)
Game 7: Boston 115, Washington 105 (recap)
Key Matchup: Avery Bradley vs. Bradley Beal
Celtics vs. Wizards is undoubtedly a showdown between two All-NBA-caliber point guards. But the battle at the shooting guard spot between Beal and Bradley could prove even more important.
Bradley scored a game-high 29 points in Boston’s 22-point Game 5 win. Beal scored 27 when Washington took Game 4.
Wall and Thomas are going to get theirs, but Bradley’s ability to lock down his assignment could hamper Washington’s second-leading scorer. Beal is having the best season of his career and has a size advantage over the Boston stopper. That mismatch hasn’t stopped Bradley in the past, however, and the Celtics will need him to come up big on both ends again if they hope to close Washington out on the road.
Predictions
SB Nation’s Wizards vs. Celtics predictions
STAFFER | WINNING TEAM | GAMES | SERIES MVP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Flannery | Celtics | 7 | Avery Bradley |
| Mike Prada | Wizards | 6 | John Wall |
| Tom Ziller | Wizards | 6 | John Wall |
| Whitney Medworth | Celtics | 7 | Isaiah Thomas |
| Kristian Winfield | Celtics | 7 | Avery Bradley |
| Tim Cato | Wizards | 6 | John Wall |
| Zito Madu | Wizards | 6 | John Wall |
| Celtics Blog | Celtics | 7 | Isaiah Thomas |
| Bullets Forever | Wizards | 6 | John Wall |
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