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Usually, when playoff teams enter their last game of the season, they rest their main players because their playoff seeding has already been determined. That has not been the case this season. Where the Boston Celtics end up seeding-wise in the Eastern Conference depends on both how they are their two other competitors with similar records – The Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers – do on their final game of the season.
Brian Robb of Masslive.com broke down all the potential scenarios regarding the Celtics’ playoff seeding when the regular season concludes. In Boston’s case, they could finish anywhere between the 2 seed and the 4 seed, and Robb broke down how they could fall into each of the three seeds (After his article was published, the Sixers have since beaten the Indiana Pacers).
- If Boston beats Memphis while Milwaukee loses to the Cavaliers, the Celtics get the 2 seed.
- If Boston beats Memphis while Milwaukee beats the Cavaliers, the Celtics get the 3 seed.
- If Boston loses to Memphis while Milwaukee beats the Cavaliers and Philadelphia loses to the Pistons, the Celtics get the 3 seed.
- If Boston loses to Memphis while Milwaukee loses to the Cavaliers and Philadelphia beats the Pistons, the Celtics get the 4 seed.
Needless to say, a lot will be riding on how the Celtics do tomorrow.
Celtics Will Have a (Mostly) Full Squad in Season Finale
Souchi Terada of Masslive.com released the details surrounding the team’s injury report for their upcoming game against the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow. Outside of Nik Stauskas (ankle) and Robert Williams III (knee rehab), the full roster will be active for the team’s season finale against the Grizzlies.
The conclusion to draw here is that the Celtics are not letting the prospect of potentially facing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in their first playoff series deter them from playing to the best of their abilities in their final game of the season. Even if facing the vulnerable Chicago Bulls would be the more favorable matchup compared to the Nets, it would appear that Boston is ready no matter which opponent they face.
Even if Boston does go into Memphis with most of the team healthy and active, no one knows if they will play to their full potential or have their main guys make cameos while their bench guys play the lion’s share of the minutes.
The real question is how Memphis will approach their final game against Boston. They already have the second seed wrapped up in the Western Conference. With Ja Morant returning from a sore knee, it might be in their best interest to keep him and their other core guys on the sideline to prevent any further injuries.
Milwaukee’s Injury Report Could Impact Celtics’ Playoff Seeding
It appears most of the Bucks’ rotation will be sitting out for the team’s season finale against the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow. Eric Nehm of The Athletic released the team’s injury report for tomorrow’s game, which includes Giannis Antetoukoupmpo, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and Grayson Allen among others.
Cleveland will also be fighting for their playoff lives tomorrow, seeing how beating Milwaukee could give potentially give them homecourt advantage against Brooklyn in the play-in while losing would potentially put them in the ninth seed. If they were to lose to Milwaukee, and Atlanta beats Houston, the Hawks would gain control of the eighth seed since they hold the tiebreaker over Cleveland.
Nevertheless, since Milwaukee will be without most of their best players, that implies that they will take no issue losing to Cleveland tomorrow. Whether their primary interest is potentially avoiding Brooklyn or resting their rotation, their injury report will definitely impact Boston’s seeding.
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