Could the Celts be the 3rd seed facing Orlando in the 1st round?

[SparzWizard]

To me I'd rather face Giannis rather than Kawhi.

If the Celts make it to the Eastern Finals they'll probably face both Toronto and Milwaukee in some order, unless one of them suffers an upset along the way.

Well, there's the possibility that Philly takes out one of them - not totally an upset. Personally, I would rather face MIL than TOR so I will choose the 4 seed and play the team missing their best player (in the 1st round). Not that it matters much, but there's the added benefit of a slightly higher draft pick, too. With us being on the road in the 2nd round no matter what, I really see no reason not to want the 4 seed other than bragging rights.

Edit: my last sentence was not totally correct. If Philly and us both win in the 2nd round, then the higher seed would have home court advantage - so there is reason to push for that 3 seed.

HCA is overrated!!!

No, it's not. See last year's playoffs and the first two rounds of the 2007-08 playoffs. HCA actually matters more in the NBA than in any other league.

2009-2010 playoffs tend to disagree. Celtics went into Miami and got the W. Went to Cleveland and took them down twice. Went to Orlando and took them down twice. Went into LA and took one.

I do miss the 2-3-2 Finals format. The underdog team had the advantage in terms of home-court lol. Just win Game 1 or 2 and that momentum swings over, and then you get to host the next three games at home and close them out. Just don't blow one game and let the series go back to a Game 6 or 7.

[SparzWizard]

76ers control their own destiny. All they need to do is win out and they get the 3-seed.

I'd rather Boston get the 4th seed. Facing Indiana is better than Orlando. Plus, it seems like Boston has had great luck with the 4th seed in terms of deep playoff runs.

[jambr380]

76ers control their own destiny. All they need to do is win out and they get the 3-seed.

I'd rather Boston get the 4th seed. Facing Indiana is better than Orlando. Plus, it seems like Boston has had great luck with the 4th seed in terms of deep playoff runs.

Even if the Cs win both of their last games, the Sixers still only need to go 2-1 in their last three and they will still get the 3-seed. While one of the games is against a desperate Heat team, the other two are versus the Bulls. They should be able to pull it out.

Note: they have dropped their last three games - including losses to ATL and DAL - so there is no guarantee here.