Getty The Boston Celtics' bench, who may be a top contender to land Anthony Davis.
The Boston Celtics currently sit tied for fourth place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference heading into the final three games of the season. In a dead heat with the Indiana Pacers at 47-32, the Celtics desperately need a win against the Pacers tonight in order to secure home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The two teams will almost certainly play one another in the first round, however, which team will have home court advantage in the series is a different question altogether. After doing battle with one another, the Celtics face the Magic and Wizards while the Pacers get the Nets and Hawks. Both teams should win out after their game tonight, making their Friday night showdown all that more important.
Celtics Playoff Preview: How Boston Can Secure Home Court Advantage
The Celtics are 28-12 on the year at the TD Garden but just 19-20 when playing on the road. As a result, securing home court advantage in their first-round matchup is paramount for the Celtics to get off on the right foot. The Celtics likely will not find themselves with home court advantage in any other series during the playoffs – unless Milwaukee, Toronto, or Philadelphia gets upset.
So how can Boston make sure they start off their 2019 playoff push with home court advantage? Simple, beat Indiana tonight. A win over Indiana puts them a game up for the fourth seed while giving them an 86% chance (per Playoff Status) at securing the position in the Eastern Conference.
Getting home court advantage is one thing, beating a surging Pacers team in a seven-game series is a different beast altogether. While Milwaukee, Toronto and Philadelphia all have a relatively easy first-round matchup, the Celtics are almost assured to face a top tier NBA team in each and every round of the playoffs. Should they get past the Pacers, a matchup with the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks looms in the not so distant future.
That said, it wasn’t too long ago that Boston was once considered a front-runner to win the Eastern Conference and still possess arguably the best team on paper heading into the playoffs. Gordon Hayward, in particular, has started to look more like his old self and have made the Celtics an extremely dangerous matchup once again heading into the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how Hayward is utilized in the playoffs but the quality of his performances will likely be what separates a first-round exit from a finals run.
Boston Celtics Injuries
Thankfully, the Celtics aren’t TOO banged up heading down the stretch. Compared to last year when both Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward were out for the season, having only a banged up Jaylen Brown and Marcus Morris seems much more manageable. In fact, both players should be back and fully healthy for the playoffs, giving the Celtics an entirely different look compared to last year’s gritty ECF underdog.