Boston Celtics: 3 teams to root against at Disney World bubble games
By Mark Nilon
Team to root against No. 2: Toronto Raptors
The inclusion of the Toronto Raptors has a decent amount to do with our major points in the first slide. It’s widely known that the Boston Celtics have struggled against the Philadelphia 76ers this season and, in turn — especially with expected rust — they likely will be a challenge once again should they face off in the first round of the playoffs.
A way of bypassing such a matchup would be if the Sixers were to stumble out of the gate and drop in the rankings to, say, the eighth-seed, while the Celtics remained stationary at the third-seed.
However, another route would be for Boston to thrust themselves even higher in the rankings and claim the second-seed in the Eastern Conference. However, in order for the Celtics to accomplish this feat, they would, one, need to attain as many wins as possible during the final eight games of the regular season and, two, need the Raptors to win no more than four games when returning to action for the final stretch of the regular season.
Currently holding a record of 46-18, Toronto sits, and has sat soundly in fourth place within the league’s power rankings and second in the conference standings. If seeding were to remain the same, the defending champs would be squaring off in a first-round bout against the Brooklyn Nets which, from the Boston Celtics’ perspective, would indefinitely be the easier matchup in the quarterfinals.
The Kevin Durant/ Kyrie Irving-less Nets are expected to be led by a main unit consisting of Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, and Jarrett Allen. While they are certainly talented players in their own right, they do not hold the fire-power, nor the sheer length/ strength that the 76ers do and, in turn, would be a far more favorable option for the presumedly rusty Celtics to face-off against in round one.
Here’s to hoping that Boston comes out with guns blazing when they come back to action while the Raptors simply lose more games than they win!