Chasing them down

Before any games start, 3/20/22

Rank.........Team..................# Losses
1..............Miami .................24
2..............Milwaukee...........26
3..............Philadelphia.........27
4..............Boston..............28
5..............Chicago..............29
6..............Cleveland............30
7..............Toronto...............31
8..............Brooklyn.............34
9..............Charlotte............35
10............Atlanta...............35

We are as close to the #2 spot, and closer to #3, as we are to the #7 play-in spot.

We now own the tiebreakers with Miami, Cleveland and Brooklyn.

11 games left for us.


Bob


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With the Bucks losing last night, the Celtics are now just 1 game back of 3rd place.  The Bucks are off until Tuesday. (at home vs Bulls)  We remain 2 back of the Sixers and 4 back from the Heat.

The snowball rolling down the hill analogy applies here.  It should be clear to all of us. The Celtics are not satisfied with 4th place.  The Hunt continues and we are literally breathing down the necks of the Bucks and Sixers.  The topic of this thread reveals what is happening.  We are chasing them down.

The Celtics should not be in fear of playing anybody.  To the contrary.  Other teams want to avoid playing us.

Both Charlotte and Atlanta are only 1 game back in the loss column behind Brooklyn.

In other words the Nets are not a lock to make the play in round.  There is an assumption that they will get there.

The Nets play at home tomorrow against Utah.  Then they hit the road for games against Memphis and Miami.  The Miami game is the first of a B2B where the Nets play the 2nd game at home vs Charlotte.  The Nets could easily drop out of the 8th seed.  They are not entitled to a damn thing.  Maybe they drop all the way out of the butt end of the standing.  That would be nice to see.

Today's significant games that impact the EC are:

Celtics at Nuggets, Celtics will win
NOLA at Hawks, Hawks win
Raptors at Sixers, Sixers win

dboss,

At this point with 11-12 games left, BKN (with 35 losses) will at least make the play-in game unless they just lose out and the Wizards and Knicks win out. They both have 40 losses. It's almost mathematically impossible to pull that off. That chasm is too large to realistically overcome in 12 games. I'm like you, though, I'd like them to lose out with BS, Kryrie and KD all on the court for the last 12 games and then fold up the franchise.

The next few days will be critical for whether we move up or not and by how much. A lot of moving parts. Lots of potentially dangerous games for those precariously above us. We can really help ourselves by winning out.

db

Before any games start, 3/21/22

Rank.........Team..................# Losses
1..............Miami .................24
2..............Milwaukee...........27
3..............Philadelphia.........27
4..............Boston..............28
5..............Chicago..............29
6..............Cleveland............30
7..............Toronto...............31
8..............Brooklyn.............34
9..............Charlotte............35
10............Atlanta...............36

We are 1/2 game out of the #2 spot, and are tied with Philly at #3 but are .003 behind in the standings.

We now own the tiebreakers with Miami, Cleveland and Brooklyn.

10 games left for us.


Bob


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Here's the rest of our schedule, before any games 3/21/22:

2/27 @ Indiana - LOSS
3/1 vs Atlanta - WIN
3/3 vs Memphis - WIN
3/6 vs Brooklyn - WIN
3/9 @ Charlotte - WIN
3/11 vs Detroit - WIN
3/13 vs Dallas - LOSS
3/16 @ Golden State - WIN
3/18 @ Sacramento - WIN
3/20 @ Denver - WIN
3/21 @ Oklahoma City
3/23 vs Utah
3/27 vs Minnesota
3/28 @ Toronto
3/30 vs Miami
4/1 vs Indiana
4/3 vs Washington
4/6 @ Chicago
4/7 @ Milwaukee
4/10 @ Memphis

3 more b2bs. Two Away/Away, one Home/Away. That's a tough schedule. The Minny/Toronto and Chicago/Milwaukee b2bs will be brutal.  Tonight will be the 2nd night of the first of three b2bs.

5 Home, 5 Away.  2 of those 5 remaining Away games are part of b2bs.

3 of those 10 games are vs teams that aren't playing for playoff seeding, not even the play-in (Indiana, OKC, Washington). The rest all have something to prove and/or gain.

This means that 7 out of our remaining 10 games are against competitive teams.

Our last 3 games of the season are all on the road against very good teams.


Bob


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A lot of standing changing games tonight.  Here are my picks:

Charlotte over NOLA
Cleveland over LAL
Miami over Philly
Utah over Brooklyn
Chicago over Toronto
Boston over OKC

The James Harden story is making Philly fans a little nervous.  They play at home vs  the Heat tonight.  They lost a tough game to the Raptors last night and James Harden was atrocious in the 4th QTR.  The Sixers are slipping.  

Brooklyn entertains Utah tonight in another no-play Kyrie game.  

NOLA is at Charlotte.  NOLA is 9th in the West and a current play in candidate.   Their record is 30-41.  This is one reason why I hate the play in tournament.  Bad teams do not deserve a mulligan.  You have 82 games to be in the top 8.  It is also not fair to teams in the 7th and 8th spots.  Why should those teams have to win their seeding all over again?

The other bum team, LAL, is playing in Cleveland tonight.  Lebron is listed as questionable due to a sore knee.  Over the last 10 games Lebron has logged 38.3 MPG while scoring 33.5 PPG, 9.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists.  He just moved into 2nd place on the all time scoring list.  

Raptors head to Chicago after winning a nail biter in Philly last night.  These teams could flip flop positions (6th and 7th)  Both want that 6th spot to avoid the play in

The Celtics are at OKC.  This is not a trap game.  A trap game can only be a game where a team gets trapped.  Boston is not going to let that happen.  OKC has no good reason to win this game because they have a chance to get a high lottery pick.

All good, sound reasoning, dboss. Yep and the buyer's remorse in PHI is beginning to set in just as predicted. A loss tonight to MIA will really crank up the internal PHI hate train.

Bobh, any way to get the game after homer comments if PHI loses again tonight?! That might be special. A real hoot. I'm beginning to think if Doc and Co. go out in the 1st or 2nd round, it will be time to blow up that ship as well from Morey, Doc on down. Harden will be one giant step closer to SAC.

PHI doesn't look good at all. Harden has refused to change when things get tight. He reverts back to Houston days. No depth and certainly no defense. Harden's days are numbered. PHI may run him out of town this off-season and not even wait one more year. Everything progressing as expected. Maybe even ahead of schedule. I tried to tell ya!!

db

dboss,

The play-in tournament was created in order to keep more teams engaged with actually playing games that matter in the last 1-2 weeks of the regular season. No more tanking or health management as the regular season comes to a close.

Teams 6 and above do not want to fall into the play-in tournament, teams 7-10 want to maintain their position or improve on it. Teams outside of the play-in tournament want to move into it.

So that creates a group of 6-8 teams that will keep trying to improve their lot right up to the final game #82. The last couple of weeks have become a joke in recent years, with the fans losing their chance to see a real NBA game (which they paid top dollar for!) and not be served up some kind of DLeague+ bullcrap version of the NBA.

IMO, everyone wins.

Look like an easy win for the Heat tonight.  Embiid and Harden are out per ESPN. Talk about folding up when things get tough!!

db

Well, we got an unexpected half game move up on MIA last night. That's about it.

But the action doesn't stop there. Since we will be taking a good chunk of this week off, everything will pretty much unfold around us through no help of our own provided we behave Wednesday at home vs. an angry Utah team who gave one up to BKN sans Kryrie. Here's the Watch List:

3/22

CHI @ MIL - Not expecting much here

3/23

Utah @ BOS
NYK @ CHA
GSW @ MIA
BKN @ MEM
PHI @ LAL

3/24

CLE @ TOR
WAS @ MIL

3/25 - Friday

Utah @ CHA
NYK @ MIA - I know, dboss, but anything can happen!! haha
PHI @ LAC

3/26 - Sat

IND @ TOR
BKN @ MIA
MIL @ MEM


3/27 - Sunday

MEM @ BOS
PHI @ PHX
LAL @ NOP
CHA @ BKN

WOW! That's some fireworks. If we don't move up through all of that sitting idle, we were never meant to be higher than 4th place. I don't want to use the word impossible that we don't move up with just a cursory glance but again, we have to take care of our own business Wednesday and not lay an egg for any of the old reasons. These next 5-6 days will tell the tale for sure.

db

We are in a virtual 3-way tie for 2nd place. Who'da thunk it?

Bulls @ Bucks. Bulls on SEGABABA.

Wednesday the Sixers are in LA vs the Lakers. GO LAKERS! (I just threw up a little bit in my mouth, but it was in a noble cause)


Bob


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gyso wrote:dboss,

The play-in tournament was created in order to keep more teams engaged with actually playing games that matter in the last 1-2 weeks of the regular season.  No more tanking or health management as the regular season comes to a close.

Teams 6 and above do not want to fall into the play-in tournament, teams 7-10 want to maintain their position or improve on it.  Teams outside of the play-in tournament want to move into it.  

So that creates a group of 6-8 teams that will keep trying to improve their lot right up to the final game #82.  The last couple of weeks have become a joke in recent years, with the fans losing their chance to see a real NBA game (which they paid top dollar for!) and not be served up some kind of DLeague+ bullcrap version of the NBA.

IMO, everyone wins.  

Gyso

That is certainly one way to look at it and I respect your opinion.   However I see things differently.  

If you recall, the NBA shut down in March of 2020 because of Covid 19.  Teams lost a lot of money not just in terms of gate receipts but also loss revenue generated from  games that would have been broadcast.

When NBA started up again they decided to have a truncated remainder of the season followed by the Play in tournament to decide who will be the  7th and 8th playoff teams.  The number one factor in this and just about everything else in our lives, is making money.  The NBA was looking to recoup some lost revenue.

Now that the Play in tournament is being peddled as normal competition it does not address a lot of questions.  By expanding the number of teams that could be a playoff team outside of an 82 game schedule, the NBA has embraced mediocrity.  There has to be a cut off point where a good team is clearly defined from a bad team.  The Play in blurs that line.  Winning 1 game or 2 games does not really qualify you to be a playoff team particularly at the expense of some other team that actually played well enough during a long NBA season to have more wins.

The last two weeks of any season has always been based on a team's competitive position.  

As far as fans are concerned, throughout the entire NBA season when injuries and work load management is being employed, you never know if that ticket you purchased will guarantee that your favorite team will be whole.  It certainly does not have to be related to the last few weeks of the season.

Without the play in you would still have sufficient fan interest and competition.  Take a look at the EC for example.  Charlotte, at #9 and Atlanta at # 10, in absence of the Play in round, would both be still in the mix for the 8th playoff spot (under the old rules)?  Absolutely.   

An 82 game schedule provides more than enough games to select 16 out of 30 teams to make the playoffs (53% of the league)  

I'll close by saying that the 31-41 Lakers, currently in 9th place in the West, do not deserve to slip into the playoffs after their atrocious season.

There are two games of interest tonight

The Hawks @ Knicks. Atlanta is 2 games back of the Nets in the loss column. I will take the Hawks since Randle will not be playing.

The Bulls @ Bucks. Bulls won a big game last night over the Raptors. Giannis is probable but Middleton is out. With KM the Bucks will be hard pressed to win this game even at home. They really do not have a BU at SF. Take the Bulls and move us into 3rd place and a 1/2 game ahead of them.

3rd Place!

dboss,

You're the best Celtic fan EVER!! 3rd Place it is! We should have gotten it last night and then we'd be talking 2nd!

db

The play-in tournament hasn’t been a deterrent to tanking. There are a number of teams that have been tanking all season.
Also, a team that barely wins 30-35 games doesn't deserve to have a shot at getting into the playoffs never mind a play-in. I know it may sound old school to some but I still say …Ya got to earnnn it.

No help from Bulls.  Going back to my feelings about them 2 weeks ago.  They continue to slide and I guess we gain something from their loss.

The Bucks beat them good.

Trae and the Hawks took out NYK again in the garden.  They are still fighting for 8th.

Yeah, last night was a bust for us.  Time to win one more and sit out for a couple of days and let those around us get beat up.  

Two whoppers tonight provided we hold firm.  PHI (-7.5) @ LAL and BKN (-2) @ Grizzlies, both B2B on ESPN.  Westbrook looks out of his funk now.  Lebron have anything left in the tank?  I fear a season-ending or career ending injury is right around the corner for him with all the miles he's had to put on this year.  He's taking responsibility for his De Facto GM by putting the load all on himself while Westbrook tries to find is a$$ with both hands.  It would be nice to see Grizzlies dismantle Kryrie and KD like we did a few weeks ago.  I'm asking for that!  

To a lesser degree, GSW @ MIA (-7).  We'd all like to see MIA lose again, but GSW is back in flux again even with Draymond back.  If we can kill two birds with one stone tonight by having LAL beat PHI, and GSW come alive and beat MIA (this will be a stretch.  Actually, both are a stretch.), this would put us "solidly" in 3rd and percentage points behind MIL and 1 1/2 games back of MIA.  That's a big ask, but usually our "drought" days where we don't move up or all the teams around us win with us are followed up by the opposite and we get multiple boosts...as long as we keep winning.  Tonight could be that night.  Again, we still have no room for error.  

MA and RWIII are listed as probable tonight.  So we will be at full-tilt vs. Jazz.  BOS (-5) per daily line.  That's borderline blowout.  Anytime you see these numbers in the teens like we did vs. OKC, take off about 5 and you'll be right on it.  When these guys post (-5), they want to go (-10) but the betting money even out around (-5).  Will have to go with dboss on this one.  Celtics know we can't horse around and cough one up by accident.  It takes going 9-1 over each ten-game set to move up in the East just like we expected since those above us are going at least 8-2 over the same stretch.  So far, we've done pretty darn good.  Very big night tonight all around.  I'm with you, Bobh.  I think I just threw up in my mouth but Go Lakers!!

db

P.S. Yep. Just added in the daily lines. All these other games are long shots for us moving up even with a win. Hope the bookies are wrong!!

db

The importance of every game is elevated as teams go into the final turn of what has been a very unpredictable season.  

6 games on tap tonight that will impact the EC Standings

Jazz @ Celtics - easy choice here.  The Celtics will win again.  Both Marcus and Rob are probable.  PP recent play has added offensive depth where we need it the most.  Utah will be without Bogdanovic.  As you know sharp shooter Ingles had ACL surgery and is out for the remainder of the season.

NYK @ Charlotte.  Last night I watched Trae and the Hawks win again at MSG. Charlotte is on a 5 games streak and are only one game back in the loss column behind the Nets.    I am going with Charlotte.

Hawks @ Pistons  - Even though the Pistons have no where to go but to the lottery drawing, I like several of their young players.  The Hawks still have something to play for.  They are only 2 games behind the Nets in the loss column.

My hope is that either the Hawks or the Hornets can catch the Nets and at least knock them down to #9.  

GSW @ Heat -  Curry is out but Butler and Herro are both questionable.  I am going to take GSW on the road to win.  

Nets @ Grizzles - With Ja not expected to play I have to hold my nose and go with the PITA Nats.

Sixers @ Lakers -  Horton-Tucker and Lebron are both questionable.  Without Lebron, the Lakers have no chance.  Based on that I would take the Sixers.

There is no way that either the Sixers or the Bucks can avoid being caught by the Celtics.  Both of those teams have one eye on the road and the other eye on their rear view mirrors knowing full well that objects are a lot closer than they appear.

The Sixers and the Buck have to play again so that is a definite loss for one of them. The Sixers play 7 out of their next 10 games on the road.  That includes a stop in Phoenix on their current 3 game road trip.  7 out of their final 10 games will be against teams in the play-in round or in the playoffs.  

I do not expect the Bucks to take any solace in what the Sixers have in front of them. The Bucks play 8 of their remaining games against play in candidates and playoff teams.  They have to play at Memphis, Philly and Brooklyn.  2 of their remaining homes games are against Dallas and us.

The only thing Boston needs to do is play ball like a championship team.  Be oblivious to any doubt, ride the positive wave of karma and do not try to cheat the hangman. We can match up and beat any and all teams in the East.

dboss,

All great observations.  Only thing I will add to Nets/Grizzlies is MEM was 10-2 the last time Ja was out.  Not sure of the competition but 10-2 is pretty strong sans your #1 regardless.  They didn't fall apart like a cheap suit the way GSW seems to be doing blaming their latest demise on MS hustle play.

I don't get the latest media narrative on the Celtics.  #1 defense and steamrolling all teams in sight offensively yet they think that will falter and disappear in the playoffs?  Aren't they getting away from the #1 mantra in all playoffs...Defense wins championships?  They're all still on the BKN/PHI ECF Train until both are no more and watching playoffs from home.  Douche nozzles.    

db

dbrown4 wrote:dboss,

All great observations.  Only thing I will add to Nets/Grizzlies is MEM was 10-2 the last time Ja was out.  Not sure of the competition but 10-2 is pretty strong sans your #1 regardless.  They didn't fall apart like a cheap suit the way GSW seems to be doing blaming their latest demise on MS hustle play.

I don't get the latest media narrative on the Celtics.  #1 defense and steamrolling all teams in sight offensively yet they think that will falter and disappear in the playoffs?  Aren't they getting away from the #1 mantra in all playoffs...Defense wins championships?  They're all still on the BKN/PHI ECF Train until both are no more and watching playoffs from home.  Douche nozzles.    

db

Defenses usually ramps up in the playoffs. That is easier to do if your team is already a good defensive team. Celtics fans may get a little aggravated by the lack of media respect but do we really care what they think?

Our rocket launched on January 29th and since then we are 20-3. That's an .870 winning percentage that was built by being great on both ends of the court.

db

Also, good point about Ja. I do recall seeing that 10-2 stat. it would be great if they can make it 11-2 tonight.

To a certain degree, dboss, I want verification to make sure I'm not wearing green-tinted goggles and blowing smoke!!  They have a right to be skeptical just as many of us have been/were just a few months ago.  Just waiting for them to catch up.  Like trying to move a 1,000 pound elephant.  

db