What's Your Preferred East Playoff Seedings?

[Vermont Green]

The best scenario is that MIL stays at 2 and PHI drops down to 7 or 8 and wins the first play-in to get the 7 seed.  Assuming Embiid is back for the beginning of the playoffs, he plays vs MIL in the first round and PHI beats MIL, but Embiid gets so worn down that he can hardly play the rest of the playoffs and they then lose to the #3 seed, thus taking down the two best players we could face in the East.

Boston then beats MIA in the first round (I am not afraid of them), and ORL or NYK in the second round (I don't care, both teams could be dangerous but we will just need to beat them).  Then we get CLE in the finals.  No Giannis, No Healthy Embiid.

[celticsclay]

Maybe I’m naive and will have a lot of egg on my face in two
Months but I’m very surprised the amount of people that think Embid has any sort of chance of coming back and being a force in the playoffs. He is a guy that has always struggled with conditioning no matter whether he was healthy, limited minutes or got a break from playing for injury. He also hasn’t
Played a single minute with all their trade line additions. Was there a time a player came back from 2+ months and was
Dominant ever? I’m sure there has but I can’t think of one off the top of my head and I remember a lot of times guys coming back and looking awful or getting reinjured.

[ozgod]

So the two teams that are our bogey teams are at 7 and 8 in Indy and Miami  Gonna be a nervewracking first round matchup against either of them even though on paper you'd say we should win 4-0...unfortunately for us games aren't played on paper 

That said, I don't care who they play. To be the best you have to beat whoever is in front of you, whether that's Milwaukee, Indy, Miami, Denver or whoever else. There's value to being battle tested going thru the playoffs than beating tomato cans and then getting a rude shock at playing a team in the Finals that's several calibers above who you've played so far.

Eh, I think Indy peaked early and hasn’t been the same since. Halliburton has been a shell of himself the last few months, which has really brought their level down. Also, we still have to see how their “all offense/no defense” approach fares in the playoffs. When the game slows down, I think that also takes away some of their advantage.

I hear you, they make me nervous though 

[Vermont Green]

I thought it was worth bumping this thread.  This discussion has been spread out over a few threads.  We know the Celtics are #1 in the East and #1 overall.  Who ends up #8 is still very much up in the air.  I am in the anyone but PHI camp on that.  We could still get MIA but IND seems to be doing everything they can to let MIA move up to #6.

The other discussion point on this is the old rest vs. rust discussion.  The first round officially starts on Apr 20, but not sure when exactly our first game would be.  The regular season ends on Apr 14.  Today is Apr 4.  We have 6 games left.  I personally don't think we should start full rest mode right away.  I want to see the starters and others in the core playoff expected rotation playing as a unit for at least another week, maybe through the NYK game on Apr 11.  Then you can play the scrubs vs CHA and WAS, they won't be trying to win anyway.

The exception to this would be anyone that has an actual injury, something more than just bumps and bruises or whatever.  That would be a period of Apr 12-Apr 20 or so, 8 or more days without playing.

[Donoghus]

No real preference in the East.  Celtics are gonna win it anyways. I would like to roll thru Miami just for the sake of killing off that boogeyman.

Other than that, I just ask that none of the Celtics get hurt. 

[Who]

I'd like to play the better teams.

First Round = Miami or Philly
Second Round = Orlando
Third Round = Philly or Cavs

I want to see some good playoff series. A lack of high quality teams in the East. Some of these series might end up being snooze fests.

[SparzWizard]

#1 seeds usually start off playing on a Saturday if I recalled. We might end up getting an afternoon slot, but also depends on the 8th seed if they're hype or not. We might even get one or two NBATV games cuz it may just be a snoozefest lol (the disrespect).

BOS/PHI is very hyped compared to BOS/CHI or BOS/ATL lol.

As for preferred path- CHI/ATL/IND, CLE, winner of 2-3/6-7. Give this team as less trouble as possible so they don't get fatigued.

[celticinorlando]

Revised mine with Embiid back:

Boston v Pacers/Bulls
Bucks v Philly where the winner comes out beaten up and exhausted
Orlando v Heat
Cavs v Knicks

[Celtics2021]

Revised mine with Embiid back:

Boston v Pacers/Bulls
Bucks v Philly where the winner comes out beaten up and exhausted
Orlando v Heat
Cavs v Knicks

I’m with you except Cavs v Heat for the 3-6 game and Knicks v Magic for 4-5.

[Vermont Green]

It all comes down to today.  Looks like ORL and MIL are playing to win, not resting, albeit Giannis is out, but that seems like a real injury.  ORL if favored by 4.5 pts right now.  If they win, MIL could drop all the way to 5th seed I believe (although not sure about the tiebreaker with CLE).

[Celtics2021]

It all comes down to today.  Looks like ORL and MIL are playing to win, not resting, albeit Giannis is out, but that seems like a real injury.  ORL if favored by 4.5 pts right now.  If they win, MIL could drop all the way to 5th seed I believe (although not sure about the tiebreaker with CLE).

Cleveland has the tiebreaker over Milwaukee (best division record in this case.  Divisions still matter a little!)

[Vermont Green]

It all comes down to today.  Looks like ORL and MIL are playing to win, not resting, albeit Giannis is out, but that seems like a real injury.  ORL if favored by 4.5 pts right now.  If they win, MIL could drop all the way to 5th seed I believe (although not sure about the tiebreaker with CLE).

Cleveland has the tiebreaker over Milwaukee (best division record in this case.  Divisions still matter a little!)

Thanks, so if NYK win at home vs. CHI who has nothing to play for and CLE beats CHA, MIL drops to #4 with a loss in ORL (not to 5th, that was my error).  These are all the likelier outcomes of each of the games.  And depending on how things go, they could still end up with PHI in the first round.

[celticinorlando]

Need the Bucks to win today.

[Phantom255x]

I'm gonna give myself headaches thinking of all the permutations, but ultimately hope the Bucks win and then the matchups all sort itself in a way where at least one of PHI/MIA finish as the 6 seed, MIL draws PHI/MIA first round and then we get any of ORL/IND/CHI/ATL. All while MIL/PHI/MIA stay in the other side of the bracket, maybe the Knicks too at the 3 seed.

[celticinorlando]

I'm gonna give myself headaches thinking of all the permutations, but ultimately hope the Bucks win and then the matchups all sort itself in a way where at least one of PHI/MIA finish as the 6 seed, MIL draws PHI/MIA first round and then we get any of ORL/IND/CHI/ATL. All while MIL/PHI/MIA stay in the other side of the bracket, maybe the Knicks too at the 3 seed.

I would like to see the bucks draw the heat and the knicks draw the sixers or vice versa.

Would like the Cs to get the Magic, Pacers or Bulls/Hawks