The Boston Celtics are Officially in the 2017 NBA Playoffs
For the third straight season, the Boston Celtics are heading to the NBA Playoffs. It became official after a number of teams lost last night.
After defeating the Washington Wizards on Monday the Boston Celtics clinched a playoff spot on their off day.
The Celtics earned a playoff spot when both the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons lost Tuesday night. The Bulls fell in overtime to the Toronto Raptors, while the Brooklyn Nets sunk the Pistons with a buzzer-beater. Boston is in the playoffs for the third straight season.
As things stand now, the Boston Celtics would be the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Stars like Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford, and Jae Crowder will aim to improve that.
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Boston still has the ability to make a run at the #1 seed that the Cleveland Cavaliers hold. Avery Bradley has become a difference maker, and he could be the difference down the stretch. The Celtics are just 2.0 games behind the Cavs for the top seed.
The Celtics should easily be at least the #2 seed as they now have a 2.5 game lead over the Wizards following Monday night’s showdown.
According to FiveThirtyEight predictions, Boston has a 43% chance to grab the top seed from Cleveland. The site also gives them a 5% chance of winning the NBA title this season, tied with the Cavaliers and Houston Rockets with the third best odds behind the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. The Eastern Conference could come down to a Cleveland-Boston final.
The Celtics may not win the title in 2017, but they’ll be a favorite in 2018 after the NBA Draft. Boston will surely have a lottery pick as they get the first round selection of the Brooklyn Nets, the worst team in the NBA.
Boston now has the best odds at landing the #1 overall pick in the draft and they’ll likely get a star.
The Celtics will face off against Paul George and the Pacers on Wednesday night.