Washington Wizards will meet their rivals, the Boston Celtics, in the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs. Here’s the complete schedule.
On Friday night, the Washington Wizards closed out their first round series against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6.
Despite dropping a 20-plus point lead, the Wizards seemed to gain necessary momentum on the road. Prior to Game 6, the Wizards struggled to beat the Hawks at home and dropped two straight away from Washington.
John Wall scored 42 points, a career-high in the playoffs, and outscored the entire Hawks team in the fourth quarter. Markieff Morris added 17 points and showed up when the Wizards needed him defensively against Paul Millsap.
Games 3 and 4 weren’t ideal, but the Wizards found a rhythm in the closeout game.
For the team to continue advancing, they have to carry that momentum over to the second round of the NBA Playoffs, where they’ll be met by the Boston Celtics.
The series begins on Sunday afternoon. All games will be nationally televised. The full schedule is listed below.
- Game 1: Washington at Boston, April 30, 1 p.m., ABC
- Game 2: Washington at Boston, May 2, 8 p.m., TNT
- Game 3: Boston at Washington, May 4, 8 p.m., ESPN
- Game 4: Boston at Washington, May 7, 6:30 p.m., TNT
- Game 5: Washington at Boston, May 10, TBD, TNT
- Game 6: Boston at Washington, May 12, TBD, ESPN
- Game 7: Washington at Boston, May 15, 8 p.m., TNT
Washington had home-court advantage against Atlanta in the first round, but that won’t be the case against Boston in the semifinals.
The Celtics climbed atop the standings, eclipsing the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first seed in the final month of the regular season.
However, the Celtics didn’t exactly start the postseason with confidence, dropping two straight games at home to the Chicago Bulls. Boston was able to beat Chicago four straight times to finish the series, but there’s clear weaknesses to exploit.
The two teams built a rivalry during the regular season, most notably when the Wizards arrived to a home game against the Celtics in all black attire, dubbing it “The Funeral Game.” Washington was able to beat Boston in that game, but the two have gone back and forth, including a skirmish between Wall and Jae Crowder.
Both teams have to keep their emotions in check, but in terms of watchability, this series might be the most interesting in the semifinals.
Next: Wizards Individual Player Awards For 2017 Season
Boston’s newest addition, Al Horford, considered signing with Washington in the summer, so that’s another story line to look out for. Washington had to settle on agreeing to a multi-year deal with Ian Mahinmi, who’s currently out with a calf strain. He could be ready in the second round.