This afternoon (1 PM), Indiana is at Philly. If Philly loses, then Boston can no longer finish 4th, no matter what Boston does vs. Memphis. If Philly wins, they still have a chance to overtake Boston and finish third.So a few things either locked or got limited with tonight's results.
CHI is 6th (might already have been)
Raptors can no longer finish below 5th. They could still finish 4th if they win their final game and PHI loses to both IND and DET.
PHI can no longer finish 2nd. They can finish anywhere from 3rd to 5th depending on their results and BOS/TOR results.
MIL can no longer finish 4th. They can finish 2nd with a win or BOS loss, 3rd with a loss and a BOS win.
So basically the EAST (non-play in) shakes out like this:
1. MIA
2. MIL w/ a win or a BOS loss, BOS with a win and MIL loss
3. MIL w/ a loss and BOS win, BOS w/ a win and MIL win or a loss and at least 1 PHI loss, PHI with 2 wins and a BOS loss
4. BOS w/ a loss and 2 PHI wins, PHI w/ a BOS win or a PHI loss and TOR loss, TOR w/ a win and 2 PHI losses
5. TOR w/ a loss or any PHI win
6. CHI
Play-in is still a mess but:
BKN is almost certainly finishing 7 or 8, and CAN'T finish 10, but there is a way to finish 9.
Cavs have inside track at 7 or 8, but can finish 9 or 10 in multiple scenarios
Hawks have 4 of 14 scenarios where they finish 8, rest are 9/10 CANNOT finish 7
Hornets have 1 of 14 where they finish 7, two where they finish 8, rest are 9/10.
So if you really want to see BKN play the 9/10 you need.... The Hawks to beat the Rockets, The Cavs to beat the Bucks, the Hornets to beat the Wiz, and the Nets to somehow lose to the tanking
Pacers.
EDIT- there is actually a 2nd way for BKN to finish 9, same as above but Hawks lose, tiebreaker goes to Hornets there too.
Tomorrow afternoon (3:30PM), Milwaukee is at Cleveland. If Milwaukee wins, they clinch the 2 seed. If Milwaukee loses, the Celtics will pass them with a win. Also, Brooklyn visits Indy. If Brooklyn wins, they clinch 7th; if they lose things are more complicated but a Cleveland win would drop Brooklyn to 8th or lower.
Tomorrow evening (7 PM), the Celtics are at Memphis and Detroit is at Philly.
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I think the best seed is #3 (Chicago) and then Celtics are unfortunately going to land at #2 (probably Brooklyn) or #4 (Toronto).
Two wins from Philly would mean that the Celtics would need to win to stay ahead of Philly, and Philly's 2 games are easy. So Philly will win out unless the standings are set before they play on Sunday.
Then there is Milwaukee at Cleveland. Milwaukee cliniches the #2 seed with a win, but the Bucks might prefer to lose and give Boston a chance to take #2. I think the Bucks will rest starters and lose to a Cleveland team that is trying to Clinch home court for the play in. At the same time, Brooklyn is at Indy. If Brooklyn wins, they get #7, if Brooklyn loses, they get #8 or lower. A Brooklyn loss makes the 2 seed look a little better, but Brooklyn will win.
That brings it to tomorrow evening. If Philly loses, the Celtics are playing for #2 (with a win) or #3 (with a loss); if Philly wins, they Celtics are playing for #2 (with a win) or #4 (with a loss).
I think Celtics will probably win tomorrow and wind up with the #2 seed and likely Brooklyn matchup.