While all eyes are on whether the Celtics will clinch home-court advantage in the first round, the Nets are in a battle at the bottom of the standings
Three games remain on the Boston Celtics schedule and they have their future in their hands. Currently tied for third in the Eastern Conference with the Atlanta Hawks at 47-32, they could hold the third seed by themselves by ending the season on three straight wins.
The Celtics have the luxury, or curse, of ending the season against the Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, and Miami Heat. While facing three straight playoff teams to end the season is never an easy task, it gives Boston control of their own destiny.
Winning out would mean Boston finishes at 50 wins and holds the three seed by themselves. However, if them and Atlanta remain tied, the Hawks own the tiebreaker since they would either win the season series (3-1) if they win tonight or are a division winner so they’d get the tiebreaker if Boston won tonight. Boston has already beaten the Heat and Hornets in every meeting this season, meaning all they have to do is tie them to stay ahead of them in the standings.
Boston also currently sits a game ahead of each in the current standings:
Atlanta Hawks 47-32
Boston Celtics 47-32
Miami Heat 46-33
Charlotte Hornets 46-33
While Boston has to face three playoff teams, the Atlanta Hawks have the LeBron James led Cleveland Cavaliers and the playoff-less Washington Wizards to end the season. Whether or not James plays against Atlanta will be a huge determining factor of the outcome, however, it’s hard to imagine Atlanta losing to Washington, meaning a 2-0 or 1-1 stint is most likely following their bout with Boston.
The game tonight is as big as it gets for Boston if they want the three seed. If they lose then Atlanta would need to drop their final two games for Boston to get the three seed. If the Hawks were to beat either Cleveland or Washington the worst they could do would be to tie the Celtics, giving them the three seed.
The Charlotte Hornets have an even easier end to their schedule than Atlanta. The Hornets end their season with a game against the Wizards and Orlando Magic with Boston sandwiched between. Every team still has a chance at the three seed, however Charlotte needs to win all three to have a shot. Losing to Boston would give the Hornets a chance to tie Boston at 48 wins, however, Boston would own the tiebreaker. The Hornets would need to win out and hope the Hawks don’t tie them as Atlanta holds the tiebreaker between them.
The Heat have arguably the toughest schedule out of the three. While they start out with Orlando, a team they lost to on Friday, they finish the season off with the playoff-bound Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics. Dropping one or two games seems likely, meaning they will most likely be the sixth seed. However, if they were to tie the Hawks, they would own the tiebreaker after winning the season series. They would not own the tiebreaker over the Celtics though.
Boston is in control of their own destiny. They need to continue to win and they’ll get the third seed in the East. Winning two of three would give them home-court advantage in the first round, while dropping all three would most likely put them in the sixth seed, although, winning only one would make it an interesting race.
While the Celtics are battling for home-court advantage, the Brooklyn Nets are in a tight race with the Phoenix Suns at the bottom of the conference. Both teams are currently 21-58, although Brooklyn owns the season series so the Suns would get more ping-pong balls on lottery night.
The good news for Boston is, the Suns schedule is a lot easier than Brooklyn’s. The Nets have also shut down Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez for the season, meaning their chances of winning any of their remaining games is even slimmer.
The Suns finish off the season against the injury-riddled New Orleans Pelicans, the Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Clippers. While there is little chance the Clippers drop one to the Suns, New Orleans has been decimated with injuries but don’t want the Kings to drop below them in the standings. The Kings are also one of the worst teams in the NBA, so having the Suns steal one is not out of the question. Head Coach Earl Watson will also be trying to impress the Suns’ front office as he’s in the running for their new head coach.
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The Nets end the season off with the Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, and Toronto Raptors. The Pacers are in a tight playoff race with the Pistons and won’t be going easy on Brooklyn. The Wizards may be out of the playoffs but their pure talent will be enough to outlast the brutal Brooklyn Nets. Toronto is locked into the two seed in the East, however, ending on a positive note going into the playoffs is always a good thing.
The goal here for these two teams are simple, lose and you’ll get more lottery balls. The Suns have a better chance of sneaking a win out, although, Phoenix is about as bad as it gets in the NBA and it’s tough to imagine them winning one of their final three.
Next: Isaiah Thomas' Streak Ends
The Celtics control their destiny and are rooting for anyone playing the Nets. It should be an exciting final week of regular season basketball as the Celtics’ organization is in two close races.