NBA Releases Celtics Playoff Schedule For Eastern Conference Semifinals

The Boston Celtics finished off the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night and now they will get a good amount of rest as their reward.

The second-seeded Celtics won’t play for nearly a week before beginning the Eastern Conference semifinals. They await the winner between the No. 3 New York Knicks and the No. 6 Detroit Pistons — the two sides collide in Game 6 on Thursday night with the Knicks holding a 3-2 series lead.

The NBA on Wednesday released the schedule for Boston’s second-round series, which begins next Monday at TD Garden. The dates for the series are below (times and TV info have yet to be announced):

Game 1, May 5: Knicks/Pistons at Celtics
Game 2, May 7: Knicks/Pistons at Celtics
Game 3, May 10: Celtics at Knicks/Pistons
Game 4, May 12: Celtics at Knicks/Pistons
Game 5, May 14:* Knicks/Pistons at Celtics
Game 6, May 16:* Celtics at Knicks/Pistons
Game 7, May 19:* Knicks/Pistons at Celtics

(*if necessary)

The extra time off for the Celtics could make a difference with a couple of key players nursing injuries at the moment. The most notable of which is Jrue Holiday, who didn’t play in the final three games against the Magic due to a right hamstring strain.

Jaylen Brown is also dealing with a right knee posterior impingement and could use some rest after a heavy workload in the first-round series. Jayson Tatum banged up his wrist in Game 1 against the Magic, but it doesn’t appear to be bothering him after scoring at least 35 points in three straight games.

The Celtics will be the favorite against either the Knicks or the Pistons. Boston went a perfect 4-0 against the rival Knicks in the regular season with an average margin of victory of 16.3 points. The Celtics also went 3-1 against the Pistons as they suffered a 20-point loss to Detroit in late February without Jaylen Brown in the lineup.