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On Tuesday, April 25, the Boston Celtics fell to a shock defeat against the Atlanta Hawks, forcing a game six at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Unfortunately, it would appear that Atlanta’s home stadium didn’t expect the series to run as long as it did because Janet Jackson had been scheduled to perform a concert on Thursday, April 27 – forcing the gig to be postponed.
When speaking to the media following the Celtics’ victory, All-Star wing Jayson Tatum issued an apology to Jackson.
“I want to send an apology to the legend Janet Jackson,” Tatum told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin. “We were supposed to close it out in Boston. She had to postpone her show. I hope she see this. I apologize for that.”
Throughout Boston’s six-game first-round series, Tatum averaged 27.2 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.3 assists while shooting 54.4% from two-point range and 35% from deep.
Jaylen Brown Discussed Upcoming Sixers Series
Now that the Boston Celtics have progressed into the second round of the post-season, they are set to face the Philadelphia 76ers, reigniting a rivalry that has been simmering away throughout the regular season.
When speaking to the media following the Celtics’ latest win, Jaylen Brown revealed what he’s expecting in the upcoming games.
“We know they’re gonna bring the fight,” Brown said. “Philly’s a tough environment to win. They crowd gets involved into the game. It’s gonna be fun. We already know they got some great players in Joel Embiid, James Harden, and company. So it’s gonna be another test again. We’re gonna have to get ready to fight again, and I’m up for it, and I can’t wait.”
If the Celtics are going to have any chance of defeating the Sixers and progressing to the Eastern Conference Finals, then both Brown and Tatum will need to bring their ‘A-Game’ to ensure they can overcome a well-coached Sixers team. In 67 regular season games, Brown averaged 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 49.1% from the field and 33.5% from deep.
Joe Mazzulla Expeting ‘Really Hard’ Series
During his own postgame press conference, head coach Joe Mazzulla shared his belief that Boston’s upcoming series against Philadelphia is going to be ‘really hard‘ due to the level of talent the Sixers boast throughout their roster.
“Not much different than this series,” Mazzulla said. “They got two All-Star’s. They got a great bench. They got a great coach. And I expect it to be really hard. And I expect it to, you know, for our guys to just constantly stay in the fight.”
Fortunately for Celtics fans, this current iteration of Boston’s roster has a significant amount of experience in facing the Sixers during the postseason and has amassed a proven track record of success. However, Philadelphia’s strength in depth, and versatility across the board, will pose a legitimate threat to the Celtics’ chances of progressing deeper into the playoffs.
The Celtics’ first game against the Sixers will take place on Monday, May 1, at the TD Garden, as Boston continues to benefit from homecourt advantage, courtesy of finishing as the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
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