Choosing not to rest their stars, the Celtics locked up the No. 2 seed to set up a potential first-round matchup with the Nets.

It was the busiest day and night of the NBA season, and for 10 teams, the last as well. Nothing beats the regular season finale for playoff positioning, statistical milestones, hope, regrets, relief, finishing strong and, as Jrue Holiday will tell you, bonus money.

It was all that and more Sunday when all 30 teams tipped off, some with more purpose than others. In the mad scramble of activity, a clear picture of the Play-In Tournament emerged and the pecking order of the top teams in each conference was settled, once and for all.

And so: The Play-In begins Tuesday and dominates all basketball discussion until Saturday when the second season begins. And what did we learn on the final frantic day? Plenty, as it turns out.

Here are 10 takeaways from a 15-game finale that served as the finish line for the 2021-22 regular season

Now we finally know who gets Brooklyn: Congratulations — we think — to the Celtics, who grabbed the No. 2 seed and get the Nets in the East first round (if Brooklyn emerges from its Play-In Tournament opener with Cleveland to earn the No. 7 seed). For the last few weeks, there was playful speculation that nobody wanted the Nets in the first round, mainly because of Kevin Durant but also because Kyrie Irving became eligible to play home games.

This so-called drama regarding the right to see the Nets carried right down to the end; had the Bucks beaten the Cavs, they would’ve earned that right but they rested their main players. The Celtics do have this going for them: Jayson Tatum has played like a top five player over the last few months, and the Celtics are among the hottest teams since Jan. 1, and their defense is stellar.

Maybe it’s Brooklyn that should be worried?

Scoring title settled: Joel Embiid is your scoring champ with an average of 30.6 points per game. In some ways this was a surprise, and in other ways, not really. Embiid was on pace for this all season with nightly epic performances, including frequent trips to the free throw line. Most important of all, he stayed healthy.

Also, the suspense from what was a tight three-player race for this title vanished when LeBron James suffered a sprained ankle a week ago and couldn’t finish the season, and Giannis Antetokounmpo took the final day off. So here’s the surprising part: Because the game has shifted away from the big man over the last few decades, a center hadn’t led the league in scoring since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000, and Embiid is just the fourth to do so since 1980.

Bottomed out: For the second straight year, the Rockets (20-62) finished with the league’s worst record. Technically, the Rockets have the same 14.5% odds of landing the top pick as the Magic and Pistons. But the worst record ensures Houston will Draft no lower than No. 5, for whatever that’s worth.

Last summer the Rockets took Jalen Green with the No. 2 pick after losing out to the Pistons for No. 1 (Cade Cunningham). Green was inconsistent and inefficient for the first few months of the season, but finished strong, with a career-high 41 points Sunday. He averaged 21 points in March and 25.5 in April, on 48% shooting both months.

Trae bagged two feats: The only player to lead the league in total points and total assists for a full season was Nate “Tiny” Archibald back in 1972-73. Well, until now. Hawks guard Trae Young matched that accomplishment on the final day when he scored 28 points with 11 assists against the Rockets. He finished with 2,155 points and 737 assists to top both charts.

Historic season for Trae Young

Most total points and total assists in the league

All NBA numbers 🧊🧊🧊 pic.twitter.com/je026CqpTF

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 10, 2022

But interestingly, he didn’t finish with the highest scoring and assists average, which is the stat recognized by the league when determining the leader of those categories. He turned the same trick in college when he led the nation in both in his lone season at Oklahoma.

Kevin Love did what? Hard to beat what Love did on a per-minute basis against the Bucks. Granted, Milwaukee threw mostly reserves on the floor, but still. He played six minutes in the first quarter, scored 18 points. He played 15 minutes total in the game, did this: 32 points, 10 rebounds, eight 3-pointers. And in the process, he also put himself in the running for the Kia Sixth Man Award because, once again, Love did this by coming off the bench.

Obi-Wan: Obi Toppin scored 42 points for the Knicks. So Toronto wasn’t playing for anything. Plus, it’s Game 82. And how many players from years past managed to score a career high in these meaningless games? Well, in this case, here’s why this is interesting: Toppin finished strong with more minutes, averaging 27 points on 55% shooting in five games while replacing Julius Randle.

Speaking of Randle, he just endured an underwhelming season, especially compared to a year ago. Therefore, New York could be swayed by Toppin’s last month to conclude he’s the future at that position — Knick fans would likely agree — and trade Randle this summer. Like, maybe ship him to his hometown of Dallas (replacing Kristaps Porzingis) for a sign-and-trade of Mavs free agent Jalen Brunson and others?

Good news for the Lakers: It’s finally over. The long, gut-wrenching, draining and ultimately disappointing season officially parked in Denver; next stop, lottery. Oh, wait: The Lakers’ pick belongs to the Pelicans via the Anthony Davis trade. Never mind, then.

The Lakers’ starting five Sunday was Stanley Johnson, Malik Monk, Austin Reeves, Talen Horton-Tucker and Wenyen Gabriel. Notice who’s missing? Davis and Russell Westbrook rested because, well, there was no reason to play. And LeBron didn’t even make the trip, staying behind in L.A. to rehab his ankle … in time for next season, evidently. You hardly recognized the team that played Game No. 82. And quite honestly, few recognized the 33-49 Lakers all season.

Bad news for the Sixers: By virtue of the Celtics winning and claiming the No. 2 spot, the Sixers don’t need to worry about a possible first-round matchup with the Nets and plenty of Ben Simmons-James Harden chatter. Meanwhile, there’s another worry, maybe bigger: Philly will be without its best perimeter defender, Matisse Thybulle, in Games 3 and 4 in Toronto and a Game 6 if necessary. That’s because the swingman isn’t vaccinated and therefore can’t enter Canada, which hasn’t relaxed its Covid mandate.

That’s a potentially big issue, because Thybulle is perhaps Philly’s best bet against Pascal Siakam, one of the hottest players in the league (26 and 37 points vs. the Sixers in their last two games) and also Rookie of the Year candidate Scottie Barnes. The Raptors have beaten Philly three out of four times this season, so they’re trouble for Philly regardless.

Missing persons: Sunday made it official — a few notable players had entire seasons wiped out because of injuries. Kawhi Leonard, Jamal Murray, Ben Simmons (for injury and other reasons), TJ Warren, Jonathan Isaac and Zion Williamson were all unhealthy scratches for 2021-22, while Michael Porter Jr., Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry remained on the injured list Sunday after playing a segment of the season. Curry is expected back for the playoffs, but there’s no word on Porter. There was encouraging news on this front: Victor Oladipo, who played only seven games this season and just 59 since 2018-19, scored 40 points Sunday against Orlando and perhaps earned a spot in the Heat’s playoff rotation.

Cha-ching: Jrue Holiday makes $32 million this season. But what’s a few more thousand for the wealthy? Holiday suited up against the Cavs only to trigger a $306,000 bonus if he played 67 games. He fouled Darius Garland right after the opening jump ball and promptly checked out after eight seconds of work. You can applaud the Bucks for allowing him to do that, or wonder why they didn’t just give him the bonus anyway.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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