In case you were wondering if the Celtics were concerned with home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, Al Horford assured everyone they are Monday night.
"It's very important," Horford said. "Obviously, I want us to be playing good basketball but, at the same time, it would be a huge advantage for us."
The Celtics' first round opponent in the playoffs will almost certainly be the Indiana Pacers, it's just a matter of who holds home-court advantage in the first round. Boston secured the tiebreaker with their win over the Pacers Friday night at TD Garden, but Indiana remains in the mix for the fourth seed despite losing Victor Oladipo in February to a season-ending knee injury.
Both teams won their games Monday, with the Celtics taking out Miami at home while the Pacers handled the Pistons. They now have identical 46-32 records with four games left in the season.
The Celtics remaining games are @ Miami, @ Indiana, vs Orlando and @ Washington, while the Pacers are @ Detroit, vs Boston, vs Brooklyn and @ Atlanta. Friday night's clash between the Pacers and Celtics could very well decide who gets home court in the first round.
Boston should be able to beat the Pacers in the first round regardless of home court advantage, but it's clear they want to play a playoff series primarily in front of Celtics fans. It will be up to them whether they get it or not.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.