Bulpett: Locked into No. 2 seed, Celtics mail one in

Credit: Christopher EvansThe Celtics fell in a Garden yesterday, and it didn’t make a sound.

It didn’t matter.

Having already been locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, the result of the meeting with the lottery-bound Hawks was of no consequence, and that’s exactly how the Celts played it.

Or didn’t play it. Brad Stevens chose to keep starters Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier pinned to the pine in the fourth quarter, which was a major factor in Atlanta outscoring the remains of the active roster by 12 on the way to a 112-106 decision.

Had the Celtics not been a 54-win team, they would have been accused of tanking. But, as noted, there was nothing of…