The Boston Celtics are set to play in the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs but the road to that stage of the postseason wasn't at all easy for Jaylen Brown and company. For one, they were heavily tested in the first round by Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks.
Jaylen Brown and the Celtics initially looked as though they were going to need a broom in a sweep of the Hawks as they won the first two games of the series. Then it became apparent that the Celtics needed more to take care of business, with the Hawks scoring two wins to extend the series to six games, thus leaving Jaylen Brown very much impressed with Atlanta's capability.
Via Jay King of The Athletic:
“Jaylen Brown said if the Hawks played like that all season they would have been a top-5 team in the East. Just another sign the Celtics left that series with plenty of respect for Atlanta.”
The Hawks had the talent to give any team trouble. Led by Young, the Hawks were able to average 115.8 points per game in the Boston series, albeit while shooting just 45.7 percent from the field. Young generated 29.2 points on 40.3 percent shooting versus the Celtics, but even at his coldest moments on offense, Boston knew better than take its eyes off the Hawks star.
The Hawks have so much ahead of them, but for now, they will be among the many teams who will watch the Celtics and the surviving teams in the playoffs battle it out in the second round.
The Celtics play the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.