Winners of six straight and eight of their last nine, the Boston Celtics have finally found their footing in the Eastern Conference. With a record of 31-26, they are tied for the fourth seed with the Atlanta Hawks.
With only 15 games left in the regular season, each matchup matters that much more for seeding purposes. As of Sunday night, the fourth and eighth seeds in the conference are separated by a minuscule 2.5 games. One bad week for the Cs, and they could find themselves fighting in the play-in.
Of the remaining 15 games, the Boston Celtics play eight opponents with records of .500 or better. Three of those contests are on the road, while five of them are home at TD Garden. On the year, the Celtics have performed much better at home than on the road, with records of 18-10 and 13-16, respectively.
The Boston Celtics have 15 games to improve their seeding
Although their remaining schedule may be considered easy, as they play the likes of Chicago, Orlando, Oklahoma City, and Minnesota, every game matters that much more this late in the season. Let’s look at the three most important matchups in the final month of play.
Boston Celtics Opponent #1: at Charlotte Hornets (April 25 & 28)
Sitting at 28-28 on the season, the Charlotte Hornets have surprised the league, as they’re set to make the playoffs ahead of schedule. Even though they’re in the eighth seed currently, they stand only two games from the sixth spot and 2.5 games from gaining homecourt advantage in the first round.
They have been dealing with an avalanche of injuries as of late, losing both LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward, their two best players, for an extended period of time. Look for both of them to miss this game against Boston later this week, as they still need to be re-evaluated for their respective injuries. Despite this, the squad has picked up impressive wins in recent days against Portland and Milwaukee, proving themselves as a playoff team despite the adversity.
For Boston, this game is important to push another middle-of-the-pack Eastern Conference team further down the standings, gaining more separation in that fourth seed. In their previous meeting, the Celtics came out victorious by 30 points, winning by a score of 116-86. Jayson Tatum led with 22 points, while Jaylen Brown and Evan Fournier both chipped in with 17.
Due to more injuries, the Hornets have had to place Cody Martin and Vernon Carey Jr. in the starting lineup, relying on Terry Rozier and Miles Bridges for almost all of their offense. With the exceptional wing defense of Marcus Smart, look for coach Brad Stevens to trap the primary ball handlers, forcing the inexperienced role players to beat them.