Celtics First Round Playoff Series Start Date Revealed

The Boston Celtics will begin their title defense on Sunday, April 20, when they take on the Eastern Conference's No. 7 seed—either the Orlando Magic or the Atlanta Hawks.

Game 1 matchups for all first-round series in the East and West have been confirmed, though the specific time and broadcasting network for the Celtics' playoff opener has yet to be announced.

The schedule for Game 1s in the First Round of the #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google ⬇️

More information will be provided as it is finalized. pic.twitter.com/vBIQMNYa3C
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 14, 2025

The Celtics will likely be in a primetime spot, considering they are the defending champions.

The No. 7 seed for the East will be determined on Tuesday night's s play-in matchup between the Orlando Magic (41-41) and the Atlanta Hawks (40-42).

Boston will either have to worry about Hawks star Trae Young, whom they have dealt with in the past, or the young stars in Central Florida, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

Whoever it is, the Celtics will have the upper hand and be the overwhelming favorites. Boston won the regular season series, winning two out of three games against both Atlanta and Orlando.

Boston has the second-highest odds to take home the title, only behind the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder. While the Celtics won't have home court throughout the playoffs, that is the least of their worries.

Health is at the top of their mind, and that could be the difference between being the last team standing and turning this dominant season into one that slipped away.

Boston finished the season with a 61-21 record, a +9.1 point differential, finished second in offensive rating (119.5), fourth in defensive rating (110.1), and second in net rating (9.4).

Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum led the team in scoring with 26.8 points per game, and they will need him to raise his game and then some to get back to the promised land.

No Celtics squad has repeated since the 1960s, the 2025 Celtics will look to change that.

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For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.