Celtics Clinch No. 1 Seed in Eastern Conference with Win vs. Bucks

The Boston Celtics locked up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 112-94 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night at TD Garden.      

According to Celtics broadcaster Sean Grande, this marks the second time since 1988 the Celtics have secured the top spot in the East (they also did so in 2008). 

Boston will meet the eighth-seeded Chicago Bulls in Round 1 of the 2017 NBA playoffs.            

Although the Celtics split the regular-season series with the Bulls, history suggests that matchup is favorable for head coach Brad Stevens' squad.  

According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Bulls are 3-14 all-time against the Celtics in the postseason, which is their worst record against any opponent. Furthermore, all three of those wins came in overtime back in 2009. 

Date	Score
October 27	Bulls 105, Celtics 99
November 2	Celtics 107, Bulls 100
February 16	Bulls 104, Celtics 103
March 12	Celtics 100, Bulls 80

Looking ahead, the No. 1 seed should help the Celtics if they can avoid an upset and pave a path toward an Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers—who settled into the No. 2 seed and a first-round date with the No. 7 Indiana Pacers. 

While the Cavaliers won a conference-best 31 games at home, they were a lackluster 20-21 on the road and were outscored by 2.4 points per 100 possessions in those contests, according to NBA.com's stats database. 

Those numbers may wind up being an afterthought if the Cavs can consistently summon the effort that allowed them to romp the Celtics 114-91 on April 5 at TD Garden, but they're worth keeping in mind as the postseason gets underway.             

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