The Miami Heat expected the race for the No. 2 seed in the East bracket of the 2011 NBA Playoffs to go down to the final day; while Miami had a one-game advantage in the standings, Boston had the tiebreaker, meaning that the Heat needed to win both remaining games to clinch the spot. Instead, Doc Rivers all but conceded Monday's game against the Wizards by sitting his four All-Stars, and Miami's win over the Hawks shut the door on the race. Miami will be the No. 2 seed, and Boston will take No. 3.
NBA Playoffs 2011: East Matchups Set As Heat Clinch No. 2 Seed
There's also resolution down under, thanks to the Philadelphia 76ers' loss to the Orlando Magic. That clinched the No. 6 spot for the New York Knicks and locked the Sixers into No. 7. Here's what the first-round matchups will look like in the East.
- Bulls (1) vs. Pacers (8)
- Heat (2) vs. 76ers (7)
- Celtics (3) vs. Knicks (6)
- Magic (4) vs. Hawks (5)
The playoffs begin Saturday. The full NBA playoffs schedule will be released Thursday, once the regular season has ended.
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