The Celtics announced Wednesday night their series opening game against the Cavaliers will be played Sunday, in Cleveland, at a time to be determined. The game will be televised by ABC.
Boston clinched the 7-seed in the east with a win Tuesday over Toronto at TD Garden. Jae Crowder's last-second fadeaway jumper won it for the Celts, who will be heavy underdogs to the experienced Cavs.
LeBron James' return to Cleveland immediately made the Cavaliers one of the teams to beat in the NBA. Early-season struggles kept them in the middle of the pack through most of the first half, but the Cavs earned the 2-seed with a second half surge as players became more familiar with each other.
The Celtics have the fourth-most wins in the NBA since February 2 and have won fans over with an energetic style and exciting brand of basketball. The trade-deadline addition of Isaiah Thomas has proven to be a brilliant move by president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, who has molded a squad that has returned to the postseason before most experts predicted it might.
