The Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 87-74, on Thursday night. Unfortunately, the Atlanta Hawks had no trouble dispatching the Dallas Mavericks. As a result, the Celtics will earn the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and the Hawks the No. 4, giving Atlanta homecourt advantage when the two teams tip off in the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs.
If the Hawks had lost, the Celtics would have moved a half game ahead in the Eastern Conference standings, giving them the 4-seed and the benefit of playing at home for four games if the best-of-seven series went the distance. Boston finished at 39-27 overall, compared to Atlanta's 40-26 record.
The two teams faced three times the season, with the Celtics winning twice. The Hawks won the most recent meeting, 97-92, on April 20, however.
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