![]() Boston's preposterous net rating during this streak has been even better on the road (plus-17.6), and from a matchup perspective, they are better equipped to face Brooklyn than anyone else in the Eastern Conference. How badly do they want it? Seeding probably doesn't mean all that much to Boston, all things considered. The Celtics are playing the best basketball in the East, and that might be enough to carry them forward, but they still probably have the toughest task in front of them of the four contenders. Robert Williams III will have his knee scanned on Monday after suffering an injury Sunday, but Boston coach Imo Udoka said that Williams was in " quite a bit of pain." Without him, Boston's fearsome defense looks a bit more beatable. It isn't clear how healthy they'll be for those games either. That includes a home date with the Heat on Wednesday and a trip to Milwaukee on April 7 that might decide the whole thing. The Celtics have the NBA's third-hardest remaining schedule. 1 seed, they're going to have to earn it. In that time, the best full-season mark any team has ever achieved belongs to the 1996-97 Bulls at plus-11.8. The NBA has tracked net rating since the 1996-97 season. They are absolutely decimating their opponents. The Celtics aren't just 24-4 in their last 28 games. This model is responding to how Boston has played lately less than the path in front of them. FiveThirtyEight, for example, pegs the Celtics as the Eastern Conference's lone 52-win team with the Bucks, Sixers and Heat tied at 51 apiece. How clear is their path? Most analytic models favor Boston to earn the top seed at this stage. How easy will their paths to home-court advantage be, and how badly do they even want it? Boston Celtics So with the home stretch at hand, let's dig into each of the four teams currently battling for the top spot. Some teams are going to be far more eager to face them than others. 9 right now, but will likely wind up at either No. The preseason favorites from Brooklyn are currently sitting at No. Milwaukee and Philadelphia have eight.įurther complicating matters? One of those four teams might be underdogs in the first round… and we have no idea which one. Boston and Miami have seven games remaining. ![]() ![]() Now, the four Eastern Conference powerhouses are deadlocked in the loss column. So did the surging Boston Celtics, who themselves lost their 24th game on Jan. Then the Bucks lost on Saturday to the Grizzlies and the 76ers lost Sunday to the Suns. By Sunday, their fourth straight loss gave them a total of 28, one behind Philadelphia and Milwaukee with 27. Before last Monday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, they were heavily favored to finish No. The Miami Heat lost four games in a row over the past week. Now, with mere weeks remaining in the regular season, the race for home-court advantage took its craziest turn yet. 12 have both done so for meaningful stretches. One of the teams that is currently tied for the top spot has never held it for themselves… but the teams currently seeded No. Six different Eastern Conference teams have held sole control of the No.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |