Celtics Playoff Seeding Thread

[SHAQATTACK]

51 minutes for Lebron.

He has to play most game about 38 minutes for them to win.  Despite having Love and Irving , without lB on he court major minutes they kinda suck . 

[tarheelsxxiii]

Maybe, but a CLE loss would've been preferable.  Doubt they rest him on Wednesday with how much they've been riding him lately... but hopefully I'm wrong.

According to Lebron, Adam Silver is watching him, LOL. He is afraid to get in trouble if he rests.

Lol, yes of course.  Or maybe just a coincidence -- Silver regularly attends to the center of the universe, where LeBron happens to live. 

[Ogaju]

Anyone that thinks the Cavs do not want the first seed only have the last Pacers game to disabuse of them of that notion. No way a team that does not care about seeding goes to two overtimes to win. No way does LB play 51 minutes if they are not trying to fight for that #1 seed.

[LGC88]

This end of season is exciting.
When you look at Miami's schedule, you wonder how they'll be able to get a playoff spot.
At this point, I'd bet on Indiana or Charlotte for the 8th seed.
But again, Chicago can collapse at any moment or anyone can get hot again.
As for the Celtics, they have a tough schedule. The Cavs can wake up at any moment. Charlotte is super hot, Atlanta needs to bounce back, Milwaukee will fight for a nice spot.
Only Brooklyn remaining, but again, this is a trap game.
If the Celtics managed to focus and play one game at a time with AB and Crowder healthy, hopefully they get 1st seed. That would be awesome.

[Big333223]

Anyone that thinks the Cavs do not want the first seed only have the last Pacers game to disabuse of them of that notion. No way a team that does not care about seeding goes to two overtimes to win. No way does LB play 51 minutes if they are not trying to fight for that #1 seed.

I think they're a team that has gone to the Finals 2 years in a row and is led by a man who has played almost 50,000 minutes of NBA basketball over the last 14 years. I'm sure they want the 1 seed but they're not willing to exert themselves all that much to get it. I bet they sweep whoever they get in the first round.

[Granath]

Playoff seeding?

ONE

is the loneliest number that you'll ever do.

[j804]

Can we get an update on the ramifications of today's games who we are or aren't pulling for? I know we're hoping for a CLE loss obviously

[jpotter33]

Can we get an update on the ramifications of today's games who we are or aren't pulling for? I know we're hoping for a CLE loss obviously

I'll do it in a bit. Also, there's rumblings of Cleveland sitting their guys against us tomorrow, so I'll post that, too.

[Phantom255x]

Can we get an update on the ramifications of today's games who we are or aren't pulling for? I know we're hoping for a CLE loss obviously

I'll do it in a bit. Also, there's rumblings of Cleveland sitting their guys against us tomorrow, so I'll post that, too.

If they do that, I would not mind at all Stevens resting everyone.

If they won't play their guys, then I'm perfectly fine giving IT, Horford, Bradley, Crowder (especially Crowder with his elbow) a night off.

[jpotter33]

Can we get an update on the ramifications of today's games who we are or aren't pulling for? I know we're hoping for a CLE loss obviously

I'll do it in a bit. Also, there's rumblings of Cleveland sitting their guys against us tomorrow, so I'll post that, too.

If they do that, I would not mind at all Stevens resting everyone.

If they won't play their guys, then I'm perfectly fine giving IT, Horford, Bradley, Crowder (especially Crowder with his elbow) a night off.

Eh, Crowder for sure with his elbow, but AB should be plenty rested with as many games as he's been out. As for IT and Al, it'd depend upon who all they rested. We'd probably need at least one of them to pls in order to try and ensure a victory.

[Big333223]

Games of note tonight (aside from Cleveland), Washington at Charlotte, Toronto at Indiana, Milwaukee at OKC, and Chicago at New York.

I'm not sure how you root for these. There are too many ins and outs. Do you root based on the assumption that the C's will be #1 or #2? Do you root for a Toronto matchup because Lowry is still questionable or a Washington match up because they're maybe not as dangerous as a healthy Toronto team? If Washington gets the 4th seed are we sure they'd beat Milwaukee, currently seeded #5?

Then there's the Indiana/Miami/Chicago mess. I'd rather avoid the Heat entirely so I guess that means you root for Indiana to keep winning and hope the Heat falter going forward. But if they don't, and Chicago falls we could easily wind up with Miami in the 8th spot or 7th.

What a mess. From her on I'm just rooting for the Celtics every night and letting the rest take care of itself.

[BitterJim]

Can we get an update on the ramifications of today's games who we are or aren't pulling for? I know we're hoping for a CLE loss obviously

I'll do it in a bit. Also, there's rumblings of Cleveland sitting their guys against us tomorrow, so I'll post that, too.

If they do that, I would not mind at all Stevens resting everyone.

If they won't play their guys, then I'm perfectly fine giving IT, Horford, Bradley, Crowder (especially Crowder with his elbow) a night off.

I wouldn't be okay with that.  That win is basically worth double, we need it if we want the #1 seed (and with Toronto looking like they will stay at #3, we want it)

And on an unrelated note, how many games do you guys think Atlanta wins between now and the end of the season? They have a brutal stretch coming up:

4/6 v BOS (B2B)
4/7 @ CLE (B2B)
4/9 v CLE
4/11 v CHA (B2B)
4/12 @ IND (B2B)

I could legitimately see them going 0-5 (although I think they'll pull out a win and go 1-4).  They have a 2 game lead on the #9 team, but they might not make the playoffs at this point. The last game in Indy could determine who makes it (the tiebreaker is currently 1 to 1)

[Phantom255x]

Can we get an update on the ramifications of today's games who we are or aren't pulling for? I know we're hoping for a CLE loss obviously

I'll do it in a bit. Also, there's rumblings of Cleveland sitting their guys against us tomorrow, so I'll post that, too.

If they do that, I would not mind at all Stevens resting everyone.

If they won't play their guys, then I'm perfectly fine giving IT, Horford, Bradley, Crowder (especially Crowder with his elbow) a night off.

Eh, Crowder for sure with his elbow, but AB should be plenty rested with as many games as he's been out. As for IT and Al, it'd depend upon who all they rested. We'd probably need at least one of them to pls in order to try and ensure a victory.

I mean, if resting their players means Lebron, Irving AND Love, then we're fine. Sure, give AB and Horford some minutes (since they've missed quite a few games to injury).

But that team is honestly mediocre without Lebron as it is, and without Lebron and Irving, trash. (Okay maybe that's a bit harsh, but it's kind of true too lol).

[Phantom255x]

Can we get an update on the ramifications of today's games who we are or aren't pulling for? I know we're hoping for a CLE loss obviously

I'll do it in a bit. Also, there's rumblings of Cleveland sitting their guys against us tomorrow, so I'll post that, too.

If they do that, I would not mind at all Stevens resting everyone.

If they won't play their guys, then I'm perfectly fine giving IT, Horford, Bradley, Crowder (especially Crowder with his elbow) a night off.

I wouldn't be okay with that.  That win is basically worth double, we need it if we want the #1 seed (and with Toronto looking like they will stay at #3, we want it)

And on an unrelated note, how many games do you guys think Atlanta wins between now and the end of the season? They have a brutal stretch coming up:

4/6 v BOS (B2B)
4/7 @ CLE (B2B)
4/9 v CLE
4/11 v CHA (B2B)
4/12 @ IND (B2B)

I could legitimately see them going 0-5 (although I think they'll pull out a win and go 1-4).  They have a 2 game lead on the #9 team, but they might not make the playoffs at this point. The last game in Indy could determine who makes it (the tiebreaker is currently 1 to 1)

I think 1-4, with a win over either CHA, or IND.

That could be bad for us though if they get the 8 seed. We DON'T want to face them first round.

[jpotter33]

Team            Record  Games Back

1. Boston         50-27    0
2. Cleveland     49-27    .5
3. Toronto        47-30    3
4. Washington  46-31    4
5. Milwaukee     40-37    10
6. Atlanta         39-38    11
7. Chicago        38-39   12
8. Miami            37-40   13
9. Indiana         37-40    13
10. Charlotte    36-41    14
11. Detroit       35-42   15

Bold = games still yet to be played tonight/yet to be determined

Toronto at Indiana

Orlando at Cleveland

Charlotte at Washington

Chicago at New York Knicks

Milwaukee at OKC

Perfect Night: Cleveland loss, Chicago win, Milwaukee win

Toronto at Indiana and Charlotte at  Washington provide interesting dilemmas. On one hand, we want Toronto to win to essentially ensure that they stay in the 3 seed and face Cleveland in the second round. On the other hand, an Indiana win makes it more likely that they get the 8th seed over Miami, which is a more favorable matchup for us. The same can be said about Charlotte at Washington. A Washington loss would essentially keep them in 4th place for good. Further, a Charlotte win would make it more likely for them to sneak into the playoffs as the 8th seed, which is also a favorable matchup for us. However, we also play a game in Charlotte on Saturday, and a loss would be devastating to their playoff chances, especially if combined with a loss to Miami tomorrow night. So they'd probably shut down their main guys if they get knocked out of the playoff race by then. So choose who you want to root for based on your preference for those games.

There's also lots of talk about Cleveland resting their guys tomorrow. From Cleveland.com:

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2017/04/will_cavaliers_rest_over_seedi.html

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers like to say they value rest over a particular playoff seed.

This week is designed to dare them to prove it.

Awaiting the Cavs Wednesday is a huge showdown with the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. The Celtics lead Cleveland by a 1/2-game for first place in the East. Should the Cavs take care of business Tuesday with their home game against the Orlando Magic (who they've beaten 16 consecutive times), the Celtics' advantage would be gone.

The Cavs lead Boston 2-1 in the season series, making Wednesday's matchup even more important. Cleveland would not only go up a full game with five to play, but would own the head-to-head tiebreaker -- the first determining factor when teams are tied for a playoff seed.

OK, now it's time for the catches. Yes, there are many.

The Celtics blew out the Knicks on Sunday, and will get two days off before the Cavs come to town.

Cleveland is of course coming off an emotional, taxing, draining 135-130 win in double overtime over the Pacers Sunday. LeBron James played more minutes (52) than he has in any game since Jan. 27, 2013.

After James, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, and J.R. Smith all played at least 42 minutes, and Kevin Love (coming off knee surgery) played 37.

Coach Tyronn Lue canceled practice Monday and shootaround on Tuesday for the Magic game. The players won't be on the court again until they show up at 4:30 p.m. for a walk through to get ready for Orlando.

"Um, we play Tuesday? I'll be ready Tuesday," James said, after posting 41 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists in that marathon against the Pacers. "I'll be ready to go Tuesday."

But what about Wednesday? Given the way the Cavs have conducted business this year -- targeting back-to-back games to rest players (on occasion), and considering the workload undertaken Sunday, there is virtually no way Cleveland's stars would play against both the Magic and the Celtics (they also play Friday at home against Atlanta).

Orlando is a home game and Boston is not. Twice already this season the Cavs played road games without James, Irving, and Love.

Also, the Cavs are 1-9 on the second night of back-to-back games on the road.

In other words, this is the epitome of a scheduled loss. The Celtics, at home, rested and ready, against a Cleveland squad coming in for its third game in four nights.

But the No. 1 seed is literally on the line here. The Cavs know it would be a bad look not to try to get it. And they also know the league is watching.

It was after the Cavs didn't play their Big 3 on a Saturday in Los Angeles for a game broadcast on ABC that NBA commissioner Adam Silver demanded owners be involved with decisions to rest players and threatened "significant penalties" if protocol for resting players isn't followed.

The league's owners are meeting Thursday -- the day after the Cavs and Celtics play on ESPN -- and the topic is going to come up.

Cleveland is also just 19-19 on the road this season. Yes, the Cavs are expected to ramp up in the playoffs, and it's true they closed every playoff series (including the Finals) on the road in 2016. But one more tough stretch now could pay huge dividends when the conference finals come around.

Asked if the Pacers' slugfest changed Lue's plans this week, he said "I don't know how our guys will feel."

There are myriad quotes attributable to Lue from the past two months talking about this very issue. Does he value the rest (and health) of his players or getting the top seed (not that he can't have both, it's just, if he guns for No. 1 he risks injuries)?

"To be a championship team you've got to win on the road," Lue said last week. "For me if I had to choose one, health would be the biggest thing over anything else. We've just got to get healthy."

That stance will be tested this week.

So it's largely assumed that Cleveland will rest their guys on one of these games in this back to back, especially since Boston would be the third game in four nights for them with another game against Atlanta on Friday. So far, there's no indication that they're resting guys tonight, so many expect them to tick off the league and rest their guys against Boston tomorrow in one of the biggest games of the season that the league and beat writers have been building up for weeks.

So it'll be interesting to see how that goes. It'd be great for us, since they'd ultimately be surrendering the number one seed to us, and because we have our last back to back on Wednesday and Thursday.

EDIT: Looks like everyone is dressing and playing for Cleveland tonight, so it's likely that they rest tomorrow. But don't be surprised if one or more of their guys gets a phantom "minor injury" that requires them to sit out tomorrow just to get the league off their back. lol