The Celtics knew they owned the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed entering Sunday’s essentially meaningless game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The last day of the regular season did determine Boston’s opponent for the NBA’s play-in tournament, however.
Thanks to a 115-110 win over the Hornets, the Washington Wizards edged Charlotte out for the No. 8 seed, setting up a matchup with the Celtics on Tuesday at TD Garden.
Here’s how things currently stand in the Eastern Conference:
Playoff teams
1. Philadelphia 76ers
2. Brooklyn Nets
3. Milwaukee Bucks
4. New York Knicks
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Miami Heat
Play-in teams
7. Boston Celtics
8. Washington Wizards
9. Indiana Pacers
10. Charlotte Hornets
Should the Celtics beat the Wizards on Tuesday, they’ll move on to a first-round series with the East’s No. 2 seed. A Boston loss would mean the C’s would need to beat the loser of the Hornets-Pacers game in order to advance.
