I think the Cs wrapping up the 1 seed super early would be a bad thing. One of the things this team has demonstrated multiple times in recent years is that if they get far ahead, they let their foot off the gas. If these guys clinched really early, they'd become super relaxed and sloppy, then they'd have to "flip the switch" when game 1 of the playoffs rolls around, but by then they'd be rusty and out of rhythm and it would take several games for them to get back in a groove.