The NBA Play-In Tournament has delivered the Boston Celtics their first-round opponent, setting the stage for a classic Eastern Conference showdown. After securing the No. 2 seed, the Celtics will face their historic rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers, who locked in the No. 7 seed with a win over the Orlando Magic.

This series adds another chapter to one of the league's great rivalries. The Celtics hold a decisive historical edge, having won 15 of their 22 playoff series against Philadelphia, including the last six. Their most recent clash was an epic seven-game battle in the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals, which Boston won before falling in the Conference Finals.

The regular-season series was a tight 2-2 split, but those games were played before Jayson Tatum's return from an Achilles injury. His presence now gives Boston a significant boost. For the 76ers, a major question mark looms over the status of Joel Embiid, who is recovering from an appendectomy with no clear return date.

With home-court advantage, the Celtics will host Games 1 and 2 at TD Garden on April 19 and 21. Boston also enters with a crucial rest advantage, having sat their starters in the final regular-season game. If Embiid is sidelined or limited, the Celtics' path to the second round becomes considerably clearer, setting the stage for what promises to be a hard-fought and compelling series.