Celtics Clinch The East - What's Next?

https://www.celticsblog.com/2024/3/25/24111296/boston-celtics-clinch-1st-seed-with-11-games-remaining-jayson-tatum-jaylen-brown-joe-mazzulla-nba

So now, with 11 games to go, where do you think the team should be heading while spots 2 - 8 are settled?

My take on it; Holiday and Porzingis get just enough time to keep them in rhythm and no more. Minimum minutes for Horford too.

Tillman and Springer; let's get a better look. Davison and Queta; welcome to the team for some extended minutes while others rest.

*****

Celtics clinch #1 seed with eleven games remaining

The Boston Celtics are beasts of the East.

By Adam Taylor@AdamTaylorNBA  Mar 25, 2024, 11:39am EDT  9 Comments / 9 New

The Boston Celtics have clinched the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference with 11 games remaining on their regular season schedule. Boston’s 57-14 record has been enough to secure the feat with an 11 game cushion over the Milwaukee Bucks, who are still fighting to secure the second seed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Joe Mazzulla’s team is also in the driving seat to secure the best record in the NBA. As such, they should have a home-court advantage if they make it to the NBA Finals, which would provide significant upside against the Denver Nuggets (or whichever team makes it out of the West).

This season has been a memorable one for Celtics fans. After Brad Stevens added Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in the offseason, Boston hit the ground running. Opposing teams have struggled to figure out the Celtics’ offensive spacing and how to break down their versatile defense.

Boston currently has the best offensive rating in the NBA, averaging 122.5 points per 100 possessions. They’re second in defensive rating, limiting teams to 110.5 points per 100 possessions. As such, they have the best net rating in the league, +12.

I knew it was going to be a fun year, but this has gone beyond my expectations, and look at their losses, other than those two nightmare games against Milwaukee and the Clippers, the losses have been so close to wins, it is scary. I still think we have not hit our best, more to come as far as I am concerned, as long as we have health

I was confused when I saw this saying that we had clinched the East, I was under the impression, supported by other peoples' analysis, that the Magic Number was 1.

1.  We have an 11 game lead in the loss column.
2.  We have 11 games left.
3.  We have a 2-1 lead in H2H, which is the first tiebreaker, with one game vs Milwaukee left.  If they win that we are tied, and go on to the next tiebreaker.
4.  Our Conference Record is 38-7.  Theirs is 31-14.  That's a 7 game lead.

We have 7 more intra-Conference games left (b2b Atlanta, Hornets, Bucks, Knicks, Hornets, Wizards).  Our other remaining games are vs WC teams.

A 7 game lead in Conference Record, with 7 games left, makes the Magic Number to clinch that tiebreaker at one.  Any combination of Celtic wins and Milwaukee losses vs Eastern Conference teams clinches.

IF we lose all 7 of those intra-Conference games (however unlikely that may be it is still metaphysically possible) and Milwaukee wins all of theirs the next tiebreaker is Winning Percentage Against Playoff Teams in the Eastern Conference.  I don't know about that one.  We probably own that one since we own Cleveland, NY, Orlando and Indy but I don't know how the Bucks fared against them.


Bob


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Bobh

We need 1 more win or 1more loss by Bucks.

The article is obviously flawed

Abby Chin said they have clinched the Eastern division Sometime about tie breakers

Yeah I'm seeing the clinched acknowlegement

We clinched. The article is correct. We own tie breakers over the next two best records as well.