Sixteen teams in total make the NBA playoffs, eight teams from both the Eastern and Western Conference. The top six seeds in each conference advance based on the regular season record. The final two seeds in each conference are determined by the NBA Play-In Tournament.

Teams leading 3-1 in the NBA playoffs have won 95.6% of the time, with only 13 teams in 293 tries coming back to win three straight games.

Before the Boston Celtics took the floor without their biggest star on a night they had to win, Joe Mazzulla implored his players to just pour everything they had into winning one game. They did, and the defending NBA champions earned another chance to extend their season.

The Boston Celtics are the defending champions in the NBA for a number of reasons. Among which is the fact that they have a talented roster led by the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They also have Derrick White and Jrue Holiday in the backcourt.

The Celtics’ worst fears were confirmed. Their nightmare became reality. Jayson Tatum did in fact tear his right Achilles and underwent surgery on Tuesday, the team announced. He is likely to miss all of next season as a result.

After losing Game 4 and star forward Jayson Tatum at Madison Square Garden, the Boston Celtics dropped from ... Daily Lines | Where to watch | NBA Playoff Bracket Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder ...

Celtics star Jaylen Brown wasn't all doom and gloom after Boston blew Game 2 and slipped into an 0-2 hole against the New York Knicks.

That Tatum languished in such clear pain for such a long period of time had many fearing the worst beyond just the series ramifications.

The fourth-seeded Pacers will now await the winner of the matchup between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks

Once again, the Boston Celtics watched a second-half double-digit lead go to waste, falling to the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals by a 121-113 score. Boston now falls behind 3-1 in the series and is one loss away from being eliminated.