Getty Jayson Tatum, Grant Williams, Jimmy Butler, Boston Celtics
As the Boston Celtics gear up to face the Atlanta Hawks in the fifth game of their first-round series, it would appear the fanbase is counting their lucky stars that they avoided Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.
As the regular season drew to a close, the Hawks and Heat were pitted against each other in the play-in tournament, with Atlanta winning the contest, allowing them to progress as the seventh-seed and pitting them against the Celtics.
However, some Celtics fans believe that was a lucky break following the recent performances of Jimmy Butler, which included a 56-point outing against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 24.
“Jimmy is willing his team to beat that overrated Bucks team. Man that is one dangerous first round match up,” Reddit user Chinesefox97 shared.
“Man i love watching Jimmy Butler as long as he’s not doing it against us. He’s so f—–g good,” TH3_ZucC replied.
“It’s amazing how the Play-in may have potentially screw the Bucks. Almost feel bad beating the Hawks, because if not for them, Celtics would be playing Miami,” Ozzyman31495 commented.
The Heat currently lead their series 3-1 and could potentially face the New York Knicks in the next round, with the winner of that series facing the winner of the Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers series (assuming Boston progress.)
Celtics Recieve Boost Ahead of Potential Sixers Series
While it’s still too soon to be looking ahead to a potential series against the Sixers, it’s worth noting that Joel Embiid is currently dealing with a knee injury that could keep him out of the opening games.
According to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark, Embiid has a sprained LCL, and could be required to wear a knee brace when he does eventually return to the court, potentially limiting his ability to impact a game at his usual level.
Source confirms Joel Embiid has a sprained LCL. He may have to wear a brace for the knee when he returns. There is some hope that he can play towards the beginning of the Sixers second round series but he will be playing through a knee injury
@ramonashelburne was first
“Source confirms Joel Embiid has a sprained LCL. He may have to wear a brace for the knee when he returns. There is some hope that he can play towards the beginning of the Sixers second round series but he will be playing through a knee injury @ramonashelburn was first,” Clark reported.
Embiid has been exceptional this season and is currently expected to be among the top vote-getters in the MVP race after ending the regular season with a statline of 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists on 54.8% shooting from the field and 33% shooting from deep.
Jayson Tatum Tried to Scare Trae Young
During the Celtics’ April 23 victory over the Hawks, Jayson Tatum was the recipient of a hard foul from Trae Young, earning the All-Star guard a flagrant one as a result. When speaking to the media following the game, Tatum noted that he exploded back to his feet in an attempt to scare Young.
“The flagrant foul, I wasn’t mad either,” Tatum said. “I know it looked like I was. I got up real quick. I just wanted to scare him a little bit. But, you know, I know Trae, no harm, playoff foul. I just wanted to get up quick and move on. That’s all it was.”