Who are Celtics’ most likely first-round opponents?

NBA playoff picture: Who are Celtics most likely to face in Round 1? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Boston Celtics players and coaches will tell you they’re taking things one game at a time. But we don’t play for the Boston Celtics, which means it’s time to look ahead to the postseason.

The Celtics enter Monday as the No. 2 seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference at 47-21 with just 14 regular-season games remaining. While they’re essentially a lock to land a top-three seed, there’s plenty to sort out, with the Milwaukee Bucks, Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers all separated by just three games.

Boston is well aware of how much seeding matters after using home court to its advantage in a Game 7 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in Round 2 of last year’s playoffs. But the Celtics also may want to pay attention to the bottom half of the playoff bracket, where there’s a tight race to determine Boston’s potential first-round opponent.

Forsberg: The ‘Blake Effect’ is lifting Celtics down the stretch

Here’s a breakdown of the East standings as of Monday, the Celtics’ upcoming schedule and the team’s most likely Round 1 opponents based on the current standings.

Eastern Conference Standings (as of March 13)

Milwaukee Bucks (48-19)

Boston Celtics (47-21) — 1.5 games back

Philadelphia 76ers (45-22) — 3 GB

Cleveland Cavaliers (43-27) — 6.5 GB

Brooklyn Nets (39-29) — 9.5 GB

New York Knicks (40-30) — 9.5 GB

Miami Heat (36-33) — 13.0 GB

Atlanta Hawks (34-34) — 14.5 GB

Celtics’ upcoming schedule

Next five games: at Rockets, at Timberwolves, at Trail Blazers, at Jazz, at Kings

Winning percentage of remaining opponents: .482 (23rd-toughest schedule in NBA)

First-round matchup if season ended today: Miami Heat

Short-term outlook: If the Celtics want to make a push for the No. 1 seed, the time is now. Their next four opponents are all at or below .500, and only three of their remaining 14 games are against teams with winning records (Sacramento, Milwaukee and Philadelphia). The Bucks’ next two games are against top-four Western Conference teams (Sacramento and Phoenix), so this week presents a golden opportunity for Boston to gain…


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Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2023-03-13 19:40:00

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