NBA Playoffs: Celtics, Heat Become First Two Teams to Advance

The 2022 NBA Playoffs have been going for more than a week at this point. While there are plenty of tight series across the board in both conferences, the Eastern Conference recently had the first two teams to advance to the next round.

On Monday night, as the Brooklyn Nets hosted the Boston Celtics for their Game 4 matchup, the Nets were in danger of getting swept.

Despite being an Eastern Conference championship favorite dating back to the beginning of the season, the Nets simply had a disappointing year followed by a shockingly short-lived playoff run.

Without a third star on the floor for their entire playoff run, the Nets relied heavily on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to carry to load themselves. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, two stars aren't enough to get by a legitimate contender in the Celtics.

While Game 4 in Brooklyn this past Monday night was close, the Celtics managed to close out the first-round series with a sweep. Soon enough, they'll face either the Chicago Bulls or the defending NBA Champions, the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Heat Are Moving On

After acquiring the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat drew a first-round matchup against the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks. Last postseason, the Hawks shocked the Eastern Conference as they made it to the third round as fifth-seeded underdogs.

They didn't have the juice to make a similar run this year. While the Hawks squeaked out a Game 3 win to get a victory on the board, that would become the only win they could get as the Hawks found themselves taking on their fourth loss on Tuesday night.

Now, the Heat will wait and see who their second-round opponent will be as the Sixers and the Toronto Raptors continue to battle it out.

Last weekend, the Sixers could've become the first team to advance to the second round as they had a significant 3-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors. Unfortunately, after dropping Games 4 and 5, the Sixers now find themselves in a tough predicament as they head back to Toronto for Game 6.

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