NBA Playoffs: Celtics Beat Nets, Heat Dominate Hawks & More

Considering how tight the final standings were at the end of the 2021-2022 regular season, the Eastern Conference was expected to be a competitive bracket in the NBA Playoffs this season as every team near the top had its high moments.

On Saturday, the NBA Playoffs tipped off officially following an entertaining Play-In Tournament for the second-consecutive season.

As the seventh and eighth seeds were unsettled, the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers so they could punch their ticket to the playoffs first. Then, the Atlanta Hawks kept their postseason hopes alive by dominating the Charlotte Hornets.

With the Hornets out of the playoff picture once again, the Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers battled it out for the final seed in the East. Although Atlanta trailed big in the first half of their final Play-In game, they formed a comeback and made it to the postseason again after going to the Eastern Conference Finals just last season.

Following an entertaining Play-In, the playoffs finally started on Saturday, with the Sixers kicking off the East's postseason run with a Saturday night matchup against the Toronto Raptors.

The Sixers and the Raptors' matchup was never really close. As Toronto got into early foul trouble, the Sixers took advantage and garnered a favorable double-digit lead early and never lost it.

With a massive game from the Sixers' second-year guard Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers cruised past the Raptors with a 131-111 victory to take Game 1. How did the rest of the Eastern Conference pan out through one game this weekend?

Hot in South Beach

A couple of days after punching their ticket to the playoffs as the eighth seed, the Atlanta Hawks hoped to fly down to South Beach with that Play-In momentum to possibly upset the East's first seed.

But Miami is the top seed for a reason, and Playoff Jimmy Butler showed his face on Sunday afternoon. In 33 minutes, Butler led the Heat's starting lineup with 21 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals on the defensive end.

Meanwhile, Miami sharpshooter Duncan Robinson came onto the court and lit the net on fire. In 22 minutes, Robinson was nearly perfect from the field as he made all but one of his ten shots. Eight of those shot attempts came from beyond the arc.

Robinson finished the Easter matchup with a game-high of 27 points. Thanks to his hot shooting off the bench and Butler's leadership, the Heat dominated the Hawks and took Game 1 with a 115-91 win.

Can't Do It On Your Own

The Brooklyn Nets are a talented seventh seed. Many viewed the Nets as Eastern Conference favorites when they came into the 2021-2022 season. This season, a laundry list of reasons prevented the Nets from reaching their ceiling.

But now, they are attempting to make it to their top destination by going through the challenging route of a seventh seed. The Boston Celtics caught fire in the second half of the season, and they proved they are no fluke on Sunday evening.

Boston's defense did a stellar job by holding Kevin Durant to just 23 points in 41 minutes. And at the end of the first half, Brooklyn's other star Kyrie Irving had just 15 points, with a lot of his production coming from the free-throw line.

The game was tied at halftime, but a solid third quarter from Boston made it seem as if a blowout was brewing. Then, Kyrie Irving brought his team back to life. With 18 points in the fourth quarter, Irving helped the Nets outscore the Celtics 29-19.

But when it was all said and done, it wasn't enough. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown did a phenomenal job on the offensive end as usual, while Marcus Smart played stellar two-way basketball. The game was tight in Boston, but the Celtics squeaked out of the matchup with a 115-114 win to steal Game 1.

Working on a Title Defense

The 2021 NBA Finals Champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, made their 2022 playoff debut on Sunday night at home. This season, Milwaukee's postseason journey begins with a series against the Chicago Bulls.

Early on in the season, the Bulls looked like one of the East's best, but some critical injuries sent them to the middle of the pack. The Bulls are still a talented bunch, but experience outweighed everything on Sunday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks took care of business on their home court on Sunday. While both teams had rough shooting nights, the Bucks were slightly better in that department and found the edge.

A third-quarter rally from Chicago teased a possible upset, but the Bucks didn't allow it to happen. In the end, Milwaukee started their repeat campaign on a high note as they took Game 1 with a 93-86 win over the Bulls.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.