are 3 wins enough?

[konkmv]

our next 5 games: detroit cavs cavs raptors bucks, 2 games in boston
nets next 5 games: hawks wizzards bucks bulls magic, 4 games in brooklyn
miami next 5 games:hornets bulls raptors magic philly, 4 at miami philly away..

i think miami could win all 5 of them or 4 at least
the nets the way they are playing will win 3 games at least
the way i see it we have to win 4 out of 5 final games to be sure.... with 3 i am not sure
more possible to win only 2...

it is critical to win today against the pistons

[konkmv]

even the pacers can win 4....

[MikeJelly]

3 wins might be enough (Especially with a few Mia/Nets losses), 4 locks us in.

[mef730]

I think three gets it done.  Here's why:

We own the tie-breakers against Indy and the Nets.

I'm not worried about the Nets.  I'd rather not pass them and end up in seventh.

If we win three, Indy has to win all five of its remaining games.  Granted, it plays the Knicks, Washington, Detroit, OKC and at Memphis, but if Memphis rests players it is doable, although highly unlikely.

I wouldn't entirely rule out Charlotte, but if we win three, they have to win five (two behind us in the win column, one more game left to play) out of six.  But they play Miami, Houston, 2XToronto, Alanta and Detroit.  Six games in nine days is a tough job.

Miami is the only one that makes me nervous.  They trail us by one and also have five games remaining.  If we win three, they have to win four.  They're home against Charlotte, Chicago, Toronto, Orlando and away against Philly.  Chicago and Toronto are both in the thick of it, so they won't be resting anyone (not that Chicago has anyone left to rest).  Charlotte will still be fighting, as well.  And Miami is depleted.  So, under ordinary circumstances, this would very possibly be a 4-1 streak for Miami.  Not sure they can pull it off with this roster, though.

 Having said that, while we should be able to beat Detroit and Milwaukee, and that there is no reason why Lebron and co. should have to make the trip to Boston, we've got five games in eight days, and Toronto has teams one game in either direction of them.  They might be playing a full squad.  Three will be very tough.

Mike

[celticsclay]

Interesting local article on the heat

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/sports/basketball/miami-heat-may-be-better-off-missing-playoffs/nknjG/

"In the other “race,” Miami has the 10th-worst record in the NBA at 34-43. Every team that does not make the playoffs goes into the draft lottery, and the Heat currently would have a 91 percent probability of getting a top-10 pick, including a 4 percent chance of lucking into the top three.

Those percentages improve if they keep losing and drop if they start winning. They likely cannot finish lower than the ninth-worst record or higher than 14th-worst.

“I don’t care about that,” Wade said. “That’s nothing we think about.”

Maybe they should. With the projected depth of this draft class, the Heat could land someone like Frank Kaminsky, Willie Cauley-Stein or Justise Winslow. Add a prized rookie to a team that already figures to have one of the best starting fives in the East next year, and the Heat look like a legitimate contender."

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

3 wins? Hmm, typically a 3-79 record wouldn't get you in the playoffs, but in this year's Eastern Conference, maybe, just maybe.

[mef730]

3 wins? Hmm, typically a 3-79 record wouldn't get you in the playoffs, but in this year's Eastern Conference, maybe, just maybe.

Yeah, but if the Celts did that, you'd have people on here b*tching about those three wins.  And we'd still have a better record than the Knicks.

I'm not surprised by Wade's (or any other's) comments about not wanting to tank.  If you end up with a high draft pick, that hurts your job security.

Mike

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

3 wins? Hmm, typically a 3-79 record wouldn't get you in the playoffs, but in this year's Eastern Conference, maybe, just maybe.

Yeah, but if the Celts did that, you'd have people on here b*tching about those three wins.  And we'd still have a better record than the Knicks.

I'm not surprised by Wade's (or any other's) comments about not wanting to tank.  If you end up with a high draft pick, that hurts your job security.

Mike

I hope we're never better than the Knicks at being bad.

[Quetzalcoatl]

our next 5 games: detroit cavs cavs raptors bucks, 2 games in boston
nets next 5 games: hawks wizzards bucks bulls magic, 4 games in brooklyn
miami next 5 games:hornets bulls raptors magic philly, 4 at miami philly away..

Don't forget that the Pacers play:

NY Knicks
Detroit
OKC
Wizards
Memphis

Wizards and Memphis might still be fighting for seeding, so those could be hard fought.  I have no idea how this will play out.  My #1 thing to root for is try really hard, then win a top 3 pick in the lottery with the 12th best odds.  Not really realistic though

[CelticGuardian]

Three wins will definitely have us in a good position for our young guns to enjoy some postseason action. I am going to purchase tickets for me and my friend as soon as I hear that the Cs are locked in 

In terms of "the other race," We all know Ainge has the assets to move up in the draft, but he would have to give up soem solid players like Bradley or Sully in combination with picks. I think a good option would be someone like Myles Turner who can fit in Stevens' offense as well as address the rim protection issue.

[TheTruthFot18]

I think three gets it done.  Here's why:

We own the tie-breakers against Indy and the Nets.

Problem is now the team we have to worry about is Miami and they have the tie-breaker. BKN, BOS, MIA, IND, and CHA all have fairly even last couple of games so nothing is certain.

We NEED 3 wins otherwise my projections have us tied at 37-45 with Miami which bumps us to 8th.

That Miami win against the Hornets hurt but if we don't win tonight, it's basically over. Unless the Cavs rest everyone both games and something crazy happens against Toronto or the Bucks.

I believe but this is very tight. Exciting too.

[mef730]

I think three gets it done.  Here's why:

We own the tie-breakers against Indy and the Nets.

Problem is now the team we have to worry about is Miami and they have the tie-breaker. BKN, BOS, MIA, IND, and CHA all have fairly even last couple of games so nothing is certain.

We NEED 3 wins otherwise my projections have us tied at 37-45 with Miami which bumps us to 8th.

That Miami win against the Hornets hurt but if we don't win tonight, it's basically over. Unless the Cavs rest everyone both games and something crazy happens against Toronto or the Bucks.

I believe but this is very tight. Exciting too.

Yup, that's why I've got them as my "team that makes me nervous."   But how much fun is it that we're coming down to the wire?

Wrote my post before Miami's win last night, so now I'm more nervous.  Charlotte was one of the teams that I thought could beat them.  The two against Chicago and Toronto will be tough, but both are at home.  They'll likely win at least one of those.  After that, they play Philly and Orlando*, both of whom are, as I type, petitioning the league to allow them to add a ball boy, cheerleader and that funny-looking guy in the second row to their rosters.  We'll know Miami's final record by Sunday.  If I had to guess (which I'm going to do, because somebody gave me access to the internet, a keyboard and nothing better to do), I'd say they're in.

Which means we need help from Brooklyn, who is one game ahead of us.  Let's assume they lose to Atlanta tonight (who, granted, is without some bench strength).  Remaining games are Washington, Chicago, Orlando and Milwaukee.  Only the last one is away.  Brook Lopez is playing out of his mind.  Orlando will, by this time, have secured the rights at least to play a cheerleader, so they'll fall.  Let's hope this is Brooklyn's last year of feast before the famine.

Our remaining schedule looks ugly.  I'm hoping Cleveland rests players.  Otherwise, I seen an 11-seed in our future in the lottery.

Mike

[Evantime34]

3 wins will leave us sweating the last few days of the year, I think if Cleveland decides to rest guys we could potentially win 4.

[hpantazo]

The thing is, even if Cleveland rests players, their bench can still beat our team.

[bleedGREENdon]

The thing is, even if Cleveland rests players, their bench can still beat our team.

Straight up Blasphemy.

DellaDova
Shumpert
James Jones
Thompson
Perkins

Would have trouble against the 6ers starting lineup.

This being said, if the Cavs rest Lebron and Kyrie, I can see us winning both games. But I see the cavs resting just for one game. Love included in only one game. JR smith might get a game, mozgov low minutes. The rest will play normal minutes.

Will most likely see
Delladova
Smith
Jones
Thompson
Mozgov

Most of both games. Smart,Bradley,Turner,Sully,Zeller better take advantage. Only advantage they have on us is Rebounding. Thompson is going to be a problem. Hence why we need sully to step up.