For the second consecutive year, the Celtics and Nets will face each other in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs after the Nets handled their business against the Cavaliers in the play-in game on Tuesday.
The Celtics could be excused if they were hoping for the Cavaliers — a beat-up group of young players that still seems to be a year or two away from making real noise in the postseason. Instead, they get to face old friends Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant — a brutal draw for a team that climbed back into contention as the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference.