2021-22 Celtics Playoffs Discussion

[Moranis]

Question:

If the Nets lose to Cleveland, do we also want them to lose to Atlanta/Charlotte, or do we want them to win so they can terrorize the Heat?

Keep losing.  Get them the hell out of the playoffs all together.

I said it before, but aside from Boston winning (duh) the best thing that could happen is the Nets lose both play-in games.  The meltdown that Irving will have will be epic.

[Vermont Green]

Maybe the Nets tank so they don't have to play The Celtics.

Don’t think they will because if that was the plan they just should’ve rested guys yesterday.  But I do think they’d rather be on the Heat/Sixers side of the bracket than the Celtics/Bucks.

Yeah, great if they do but I suspect they are just go out and try to win.  This would be no time for them to get cute.  And there is no reason for them to favor MIA over BOS that I can see.

BKN is favored by 8.5 points right now.  That sounds about right.  ESPN has them with a 71.4% chance of winning.  They will probably win on Tuesday and then get to rest until Sunday.  It is one game though and a couple of make/miss shots either way and CLE can be right in this, especially if the officiating is fair, and doesn't just give Durant every call.

How about not wanting to play against the #1 defense in the NBA and the team that finished the year with the 2nd highest point differential (7.3) which was only 0.1 lower than the league leading Suns. Or not wanting to face off against two of the best, young wing players in the NBA. Tatum is now a top 10 player in the league and even JB is going to be more of a headache than anyone the Heat have. Maybe Kyrie doesn’t want to have to deal with Marcus Smart. That’s just off the top of my head. 

Those are all fair points but none of that is going to lead to a team losing a playoff (kind of) game on purpose so that they can avoid playing Boston by playing Miami.  Remember, Miami beat us recently.  I felt that was a hangover game after the debacle in Toronto but none the less, this isn't like saying we can play CHI or BKN.  I honestly don't think BKN management or players are giving any thought at all who they will play next, nor should they.  They simply want to win this game with as little drama as possible and move on.

If Boston is that good, BKN will see them in the ECF anyway, albeit maybe with Simmons more in form but we will likely have an in form Robert Williams by the ECF.  I get the playing out a hypothetical but, no, in this case, this will not happen.  BKN may lose but it will not be because they are trying to game the seedings.

[Donoghus]

BKN would be nuts tanking a play-in game to get them to a one game winner take all.   That's not a situation you want to be in.

[celticsclay]

BKN would be nuts tanking a play-in game to get them to a one game winner take all.   That's not a situation you want to be in.

Yeah nobody is throwing one of these playin games ever. The hawks could have trae young go for 50 and then the nets don’t even make the playoffs. Also, maybe Durant gets ejected or tweaks an ankle in a game.

[Celtics2021]

BKN would be nuts tanking a play-in game to get them to a one game winner take all.   That's not a situation you want to be in.

Oh, they're absolutely not throwing the play-in game.  But if it turned out for them that they lost vs. Cleveland and then beat ATL/CHA, I don't think they would be displeased to face Miami in the 1st round instead of the Celtics.

[Donoghus]

BKN would be nuts tanking a play-in game to get them to a one game winner take all.   That's not a situation you want to be in.

Oh, they're absolutely not throwing the play-in game.  But if it turned out for them that they lost vs. Cleveland and then beat ATL/CHA, I don't think they would be displeased to face Miami in the 1st round instead of the Celtics.

Oh, for sure.

[Goldstar88]

Maybe the Nets tank so they don't have to play The Celtics.

Don’t think they will because if that was the plan they just should’ve rested guys yesterday.  But I do think they’d rather be on the Heat/Sixers side of the bracket than the Celtics/Bucks.

Yeah, great if they do but I suspect they are just go out and try to win.  This would be no time for them to get cute.  And there is no reason for them to favor MIA over BOS that I can see.

BKN is favored by 8.5 points right now.  That sounds about right.  ESPN has them with a 71.4% chance of winning.  They will probably win on Tuesday and then get to rest until Sunday.  It is one game though and a couple of make/miss shots either way and CLE can be right in this, especially if the officiating is fair, and doesn't just give Durant every call.

How about not wanting to play against the #1 defense in the NBA and the team that finished the year with the 2nd highest point differential (7.3) which was only 0.1 lower than the league leading Suns. Or not wanting to face off against two of the best, young wing players in the NBA. Tatum is now a top 10 player in the league and even JB is going to be more of a headache than anyone the Heat have. Maybe Kyrie doesn’t want to have to deal with Marcus Smart. That’s just off the top of my head. 

Those are all fair points but none of that is going to lead to a team losing a playoff (kind of) game on purpose so that they can avoid playing Boston by playing Miami.  Remember, Miami beat us recently.  I felt that was a hangover game after the debacle in Toronto but none the less, this isn't like saying we can play CHI or BKN.  I honestly don't think BKN management or players are giving any thought at all who they will play next, nor should they.  They simply want to win this game with as little drama as possible and move on.

If Boston is that good, BKN will see them in the ECF anyway, albeit maybe with Simmons more in form but we will likely have an in form Robert Williams by the ECF.  I get the playing out a hypothetical but, no, in this case, this will not happen.  BKN may lose but it will not be because they are trying to game the seedings.

I’d be surprised if the Nets took the risk, but they did just play the Heat within the last week or so and they beat Miami handily. Feel like the C’s have defenders to bother Kyrie and KD. The Heat do not.

[Vermont Green]

BKN would be nuts tanking a play-in game to get them to a one game winner take all.   That's not a situation you want to be in.

Oh, they're absolutely not throwing the play-in game.  But if it turned out for them that they lost vs. Cleveland and then beat ATL/CHA, I don't think they would be displeased to face Miami in the 1st round instead of the Celtics.

It is very odd the way the East seeding is working out.  The 4 seed may have an easier first round match up than the 2 seed and the 8 seed better than the 7 seed.  I don't ever remember seeing that before.  But if you are talking the difference between BOS or MIL or MIA, I don't think you can be certain there is any difference at all much less enough of a difference where you would actually try to lose and game the system.  Kyrie may be delusional enough to try something like that but I don't think any normal person would even consider it for a second.

[Celtics2021]

BKN would be nuts tanking a play-in game to get them to a one game winner take all.   That's not a situation you want to be in.

Oh, they're absolutely not throwing the play-in game.  But if it turned out for them that they lost vs. Cleveland and then beat ATL/CHA, I don't think they would be displeased to face Miami in the 1st round instead of the Celtics.

It is very odd the way the East seeding is working out.  The 4 seed may have an easier first round match up than the 2 seed and the 8 seed better than the 7 seed.  I don't ever remember seeing that before.  But if you are talking the difference between BOS or MIL or MIA, I don't think you can be certain there is any difference at all much less enough of a difference where you would actually try to lose and game the system.  Kyrie may be delusional enough to try something like that but I don't think any normal person would even consider it for a second.

There is a substantial difference in the quality of teams,  both over the course of the season and even more so for the past 35 or so games.  Miami has been a very good team.  The Celtics have been historically great.  Simply put, net rating is a better predictor of a team’s future performance than is record, and the Celtics have performed at a championship level for roughly half a season at this point.  The same cannot be said of Miami.

[Vermont Green]

BKN would be nuts tanking a play-in game to get them to a one game winner take all.   That's not a situation you want to be in.

Oh, they're absolutely not throwing the play-in game.  But if it turned out for them that they lost vs. Cleveland and then beat ATL/CHA, I don't think they would be displeased to face Miami in the 1st round instead of the Celtics.

If you go back to 23 Jan 2022, that is exactly 35 games for the Celtics and between 33 and 39 games for everyone else.  In that time span, the Celtics Net Rating is 15.5 which I agree, is absolutely sick.  In that time the second best is Memphis at 8.1.  MIA is at 4.5.

So yes, by this measure, the Celtics have been a much better team than anyone else in the league.  But by that same measure, teams should avoid Memphis and try to get Phoenix.  I am not sure that is altogether real (although the delta in the Net Rating is as large).

If the Nets want to game this and play to avoid the Celtics, more power to them.  Knock yourself out.

It is very odd the way the East seeding is working out.  The 4 seed may have an easier first round match up than the 2 seed and the 8 seed better than the 7 seed.  I don't ever remember seeing that before.  But if you are talking the difference between BOS or MIL or MIA, I don't think you can be certain there is any difference at all much less enough of a difference where you would actually try to lose and game the system.  Kyrie may be delusional enough to try something like that but I don't think any normal person would even consider it for a second.

There is a substantial difference in the quality of teams,  both over the course of the season and even more so for the past 35 or so games.  Miami has been a very good team.  The Celtics have been historically great.  Simply put, net rating is a better predictor of a team’s future performance than is record, and the Celtics have performed at a championship level for roughly half a season at this point.  The same cannot be said of Miami.

[libermaniac]

BKN would be nuts tanking a play-in game to get them to a one game winner take all.   That's not a situation you want to be in.

Oh, they're absolutely not throwing the play-in game.  But if it turned out for them that they lost vs. Cleveland and then beat ATL/CHA, I don't think they would be displeased to face Miami in the 1st round instead of the Celtics.

It is very odd the way the East seeding is working out.  The 4 seed may have an easier first round match up than the 2 seed and the 8 seed better than the 7 seed.  I don't ever remember seeing that before.  But if you are talking the difference between BOS or MIL or MIA, I don't think you can be certain there is any difference at all much less enough of a difference where you would actually try to lose and game the system.  Kyrie may be delusional enough to try something like that but I don't think any normal person would even consider it for a second.

They should let the top seeds select who they play from the pool of teams that don’t have home court advantage. This would make for a fun 30 minute reveal show as well as some serious bulletin board material, etc. I can’t see a downside.

[jpotter33]

BKN would be nuts tanking a play-in game to get them to a one game winner take all.   That's not a situation you want to be in.

Oh, they're absolutely not throwing the play-in game.  But if it turned out for them that they lost vs. Cleveland and then beat ATL/CHA, I don't think they would be displeased to face Miami in the 1st round instead of the Celtics.

It is very odd the way the East seeding is working out.  The 4 seed may have an easier first round match up than the 2 seed and the 8 seed better than the 7 seed.  I don't ever remember seeing that before.  But if you are talking the difference between BOS or MIL or MIA, I don't think you can be certain there is any difference at all much less enough of a difference where you would actually try to lose and game the system.  Kyrie may be delusional enough to try something like that but I don't think any normal person would even consider it for a second.

They should let the top seeds select who they play from the pool of teams that don’t have home court advantage. This would make for a fun 30 minute reveal show as well as some serious bulletin board material, etc. I can’t see a downside.

Oh, I like that idea. TP. It’d also stop this questionable “strategic resting” at the end of the season for playoff positioning, assuming that teams will want the higher seed to choose who they get to play.

[Phantom255x]

Celtics-Nets Game 1 is Sunday at 3:30 PM EST (ABC)

Rest of schedule will be finalized later I think, obviously to account for whatever happens in the coming days with the other games too

[gouki88]

Celtics-Nets Game 1 is Sunday at 3:30 PM EST (ABC)

Rest of schedule will be finalized later I think, obviously to account for whatever happens in the coming days with the other games too

Ugh, 3:30EST is a brutal time for me! Dang it

[Phantom255x]

Celtics-Nets Game 1 is Sunday at 3:30 PM EST (ABC)

Rest of schedule will be finalized later I think, obviously to account for whatever happens in the coming days with the other games too

Ugh, 3:30EST is a brutal time for me! Dang it

Is that 5:30 AM in AUS? Toughen up!

Also on a side note I have a colleague who went to Australia recently to visit his family for a month (he’s from there) and he was saying how it was always raining/cloudy there and tons of flooding. He went back in February and early March