THE 2017 NBA regular season is complete, and the playoff matchups are now all set, with a few final details ironed out Wednesday. The Boston Celtics won to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2008. In the first round, Boston will battle the Chicago Bulls, who clinched the No. 8 seed with a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. The Indiana Pacers also punched their playoff ticket Wednesday, clinching the No. 7 seed and earning them a matchup with the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers. The final thing decided in the Western Conference on Wednesday was home court advantage in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup, secured by the Los Angeles Clippers with a win. The Clippers will open their first-round series against the Utah Jazz in Los Angeles on Saturday. Among the intriguing series in the Western Conference is the No. 3 Houston Rockets facing the No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder, with leading NBA MVP candidates James Harden and Russell Westbrook battling each other. The NBA playoffs begin with four games Saturday. Here is the complete first-round schedule. Eastern Conference No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 Chicago Bulls No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 7 Indiana Pacers No. 3 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 6 Milwaukee Bucks No. 4 Washington Wizards vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks Western Conference No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies No. 3 Houston Rockets vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz (SD-Agencies) |