Why are we the 4 seed not the 3 ?

[Texstyles]

I was asked this at work and did not have the answer.  If there are 3 div.,  Why are the div. winners not slotted in the 1st 3 spots.  How does Orlando get the slotted ahead of us  but not Indiana ?

[azzenfrost]

Because Div leaders are only guaranteed top 4 and Orlando has a better record.

[paintitgreen]

Yeah, they changed the rule several years ago in large part because San Antonio and Dallas had a tendency to finish 1-2 in the West, but automatically had to be the 1 and 4 seeds and play each other in the Western Conference Semis. Now, the top four seeds are the three division winners and best non-division winner, in order of record. And if the 5th seed has a better record than the 4th seed, 5th seed gets home court. So right now Boston would be 4 seed but Indy would have homecourt in the first round.

[KY Celts fan]

And if the 5th seed has a better record than the 4th seed, 5th seed gets home court. So right now Boston would be 4 seed but Indy would have homecourt in the first round.

This is the first time I have ever heard this. I don't think its true. What's the point of being seeded higher if you don't get homecourt?

[KY Celts fan]

And if the 5th seed has a better record than the 4th seed, 5th seed gets home court. So right now Boston would be 4 seed but Indy would have homecourt in the first round.

This is the first time I have ever heard this. I don't think its true. What's the point of being seeded higher if you don't get homecourt?

Looked it up and appears paintitgreen is correct. That means the way the NBA sets up the playoffs is one of the most overly complicated things in sports. Why not just forget the whole division championship and just play based fully on W-L?

[j804]

So we pretty much could still catch Orlando? Howard was out with back spasms maybe hell be out some more not that I wish injuries on anybody 

[paintitgreen]

Only a game and a half back (one game in the loss column), plus Boston already owns the tiebreaker and gets one more game against Orlando, at home on the 18th (night after the Cs play in New York, though). If they go 4-2 in the next 6, I think they have a shot. But that's gonna be tough to do since those 6 games are three sets of back-to-backs in a span of 8 days: SA, @Chi; @Ind, Phil; @Mia, Atl. Playoff atmosphere creeping in, love it.

As for the 5 seed getting homecourt over the 4 if it has a better record, that's really just something I've read on a variety of CB posts, I can't confirm it but have started accepting it as true because it came from multiple sources on here who seem to be pretty reliable.

[Weird Facts]

Question I was wondering myself.

Thanks for the clarification
Makes sense.

[LarBrd33]

wouldn't worry about it.  We might be the 7th seed by the end of the week.

[RyNye]

wouldn't worry about it.  We might be the 7th seed by the end of the week.

Okay, I know that everyone is entitled to their opinions, and there is no logical reason why you should be as optimistic about the team as other people.

But seriously, dude, stop trolling. When all you do is wander into threads and randomly post "OH LOL CELTICS SUCK STOP WASTING YOUR TIME ROOTING FOR THEM", you aren't adding any substance to the conversation, you are just straight up trolling. This post of yours serves no purpose other than for you to smugly assert a sense of your own superiority, and to provoke other not-as-cynical people into responding.

I honestly don't care what you think of the Celtics as a team one way or the other. I just want you to stop wasting bandwidth with these snide little one-liners. It's one thing if you actually presented a reason for your cynicism, or made any attempt at contribution in general, but all you seem interested in is padding your post count.

[paintitgreen]

Absolutely - 6 games against playoff teams in 8 days. If they go 4-2 or better, I think there's reason to hope they can make a run at the 3; if they go 3-3 or worse, it's really only about the race v. Philly.

[Fafnir]

wouldn't worry about it.  We might be the 7th seed by the end of the week.

Well yeah.

The distance between the 3rd seed (32-21) and the 7th seed (29-23) is only 2.5 games the teams can bounce around a ton in just a few games.

[GrandTheftRondo]

wouldn't worry about it.  We might be the 7th seed by the end of the week.

Okay, I know that everyone is entitled to their opinions, and there is no logical reason why you should be as optimistic about the team as other people.

But seriously, dude, stop trolling. When all you do is wander into threads and randomly post "OH LOL CELTICS SUCK STOP WASTING YOUR TIME ROOTING FOR THEM", you aren't adding any substance to the conversation, you are just straight up trolling. This post of yours serves no purpose other than for you to smugly assert a sense of your own superiority, and to provoke other not-as-cynical people into responding.

I honestly don't care what you think of the Celtics as a team one way or the other. I just want you to stop wasting bandwidth with these snide little one-liners. It's one thing if you actually presented a reason for your cynicism, or made any attempt at contribution in general, but all you seem interested in is padding your post count.

TP. I wish I could give you 100 of them.

[jambr380]

And if the 5th seed has a better record than the 4th seed, 5th seed gets home court. So right now Boston would be 4 seed but Indy would have homecourt in the first round.

This is the first time I have ever heard this. I don't think its true. What's the point of being seeded higher if you don't get homecourt?

Looked it up and appears paintitgreen is correct. That means the way the NBA sets up the playoffs is one of the most overly complicated things in sports. Why not just forget the whole division championship and just play based fully on W-L?

I agree. I don't really see the point. It only leads people to complain about a lesser team getting a higher seed, when they actually really don't.

[green7]

don't want to be the 3 seed, because we would have to face miami in the second round.