What to do...

[Goldstar88]

Can you add a third option of expanding the rotation?

I updated the initial post. Has to be one or the other. If Ime expands the rotation while still playing the starters, you still risk injury.

They could get hurt in the shower too... I think lowering minutes for the starters would be a good idea but if I only have two options I go for it!

Sure, but I think their chances of getting injured in an NBA game are a tad higher. I honestly don’t care about seeding at this point, only health. Seems like every postseason for the last X amount of years, the C’s are missing a key player and Rob is already out. Can’t afford to lose another starter or anyone in the 8 man rotation, really. Regular season can’t be over soon enough.

[Celtics2021]

They can’t rest starters the entire week.  You don’t want to go into the playoffs without having played for two weeks, as Game 1 could be two weeks from today.

If they’re going to rest two of the final three, to me it makes most sense to rest vs. Chicago and Memphis, while playing against Milwaukee.  A win at Milwaukee would be worth two since it would give the C’s the tiebreaker, meaning the Bucks would have to go 3-0 in the rest of their games to pass the C’s in the standings, and they’re going to want to rest players as well.

[colincb]

Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_about 42 minutes ago

One week to go. Three games. Here are the Celtics’ current seeding probabilities from @Basketball-Reference:
1: 4.6%
2: 52.1%
3: 27.7%
4: 14.5%
5: 1.1%

Nets with only a 36.5% chance to be in 7-8 play-in game that would decide 7th seed (and play No. 2 seed in Round 1)

The chances of the top seed or the 5th seed are less than less than 6%.

[Roy H.]

Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_about 42 minutes ago

One week to go. Three games. Here are the Celtics’ current seeding probabilities from @Basketball-Reference:
1: 4.6%
2: 52.1%
3: 27.7%
4: 14.5%
5: 1.1%

Nets with only a 36.5% chance to be in 7-8 play-in game that would decide 7th seed (and play No. 2 seed in Round 1)

The chances of the top seed or the 5th seed are less than less than 6%.

Getting the #2 seed and missing the Nets would definitely be the ideal at this point.

[Phantom255x]

I think at this point, the best bet is the #2 seed and hope BKN stays 9 or 10.

Even if we play MIL 2nd round, I like our chances against them with HCA.

The goal should be to avoid BKN 1st round and to try and avoid all of PHI/BKN/MIL until the ECF, BUT if we do have to face 1 of PHI/MIL 2nd round then I'd prefer to do it with HCA.

The MIL-CHI-BOS games this week are huge. Bucks-Bulls tomorrow night, then we face Chicago the next night with Chicago on the 2nd of a B2B, and then the following night the Bucks play the Celtics who would be on their 2nd night of a B2B. Hopefully the Bulls can beat the Bucks, as I don't see them losing to Boston/Cleveland/Detroit to finish tbh.

[aefgogreen]

I'd play the guys on Wednesday and then sit them the final two games.  I don't care about the 1 seed.  Get healthy.

[Roy H.]

This seems relevant:

Brian Robb:  NBA just announced final weekend schedule and Celtics will face Grizzlies at 7 p.m. to close out the regular season on Sunday. By then, they will know where Bucks and Nets have finished in regular season standings since both play at 3:30 p.m. ET.

[Celtics2021]

This seems relevant:

Brian Robb:  NBA just announced final weekend schedule and Celtics will face Grizzlies at 7 p.m. to close out the regular season on Sunday. By then, they will know where Bucks and Nets have finished in regular season standings since both play at 3:30 p.m. ET.

That was nice of the NBA to let the C’s know what they’re playing for (or not playing for).

[slamtheking]

This seems relevant:

Brian Robb:  NBA just announced final weekend schedule and Celtics will face Grizzlies at 7 p.m. to close out the regular season on Sunday. By then, they will know where Bucks and Nets have finished in regular season standings since both play at 3:30 p.m. ET.

That was nice of the NBA to let the C’s know what they’re playing for (or not playing for).

that is mighty convenient.  NBA never does anything helpful to the C's.  something must be going on that the general public doesn't know yet.

[Celtics2021]

This seems relevant:

Brian Robb:  NBA just announced final weekend schedule and Celtics will face Grizzlies at 7 p.m. to close out the regular season on Sunday. By then, they will know where Bucks and Nets have finished in regular season standings since both play at 3:30 p.m. ET.

That was nice of the NBA to let the C’s know what they’re playing for (or not playing for).

that is mighty convenient.  NBA never does anything helpful to the C's.  something must be going on that the general public doesn't know yet.

My guess is the NBA hopes the Celtics may have something to play for, while also hoping Memphis will give Ja some tuneup minutes if he's ready, so that there's at least a half of real basketball.

[blink]

This seems relevant:

Brian Robb:  NBA just announced final weekend schedule and Celtics will face Grizzlies at 7 p.m. to close out the regular season on Sunday. By then, they will know where Bucks and Nets have finished in regular season standings since both play at 3:30 p.m. ET.

That was nice of the NBA to let the C’s know what they’re playing for (or not playing for).

that is mighty convenient.  NBA never does anything helpful to the C's.  something must be going on that the general public doesn't know yet.

My guess is the NBA hopes the Celtics may have something to play for, while also hoping Memphis will give Ja some tuneup minutes if he's ready, so that there's at least a half of real basketball.

Is it just me, but is it weird that the schedule / time for the game hadn't been set a long time ago? 

[Csfan1984]

Stay healthy

[bdm860]

This seems relevant:

Brian Robb:  NBA just announced final weekend schedule and Celtics will face Grizzlies at 7 p.m. to close out the regular season on Sunday. By then, they will know where Bucks and Nets have finished in regular season standings since both play at 3:30 p.m. ET.

That was nice of the NBA to let the C’s know what they’re playing for (or not playing for).

that is mighty convenient.  NBA never does anything helpful to the C's.  something must be going on that the general public doesn't know yet.

My guess is the NBA hopes the Celtics may have something to play for, while also hoping Memphis will give Ja some tuneup minutes if he's ready, so that there's at least a half of real basketball.

Is it just me, but is it weird that the schedule / time for the game hadn't been set a long time ago?

Have to imagine that's because the NBA and national TV partners want to make sure they don't miss any gems, like the 2018 Nuggets/Wolves game on the last day of the season that determined who went to the playoffs, while at the same time avoiding duds where teams are resting their starters/tanking.

[mef730]

This seems relevant:

Brian Robb:  NBA just announced final weekend schedule and Celtics will face Grizzlies at 7 p.m. to close out the regular season on Sunday. By then, they will know where Bucks and Nets have finished in regular season standings since both play at 3:30 p.m. ET.

That was nice of the NBA to let the C’s know what they’re playing for (or not playing for).

that is mighty convenient.  NBA never does anything helpful to the C's.  something must be going on that the general public doesn't know yet.

My guess is the NBA hopes the Celtics may have something to play for, while also hoping Memphis will give Ja some tuneup minutes if he's ready, so that there's at least a half of real basketball.

Memphis has nothing to play for. They've locked in the 2 seed. Maybe Morant gets some reps, but most other starters likely sit and the mandate will be "don't get hurt." We could easily win that last game if it came down to it. Or, come to think of it, lose it.

Mike

[libermaniac]

Win out, keep the momentum going.

We’re not even locked into home court in the first round yet.

I’m not seeing how the C’s can do worse than the 4 seed. They are 3 games  up on Toronto with 3 to go. They split with the Raptors during the season and the C’s have a better conference record by 4 games.

Toronto has 5 games left.

Chicago can still tie us if they win out and we lose out.  They’d have the tiebreaker.

We can finish as low as 6th if we lose our remaining three.

No way Chicago wins out. Look at their schedule. And the best Toronto can do is tie us and we own the tiebreaker. For all intents and purposes we’ve clinched home court for the first round.