With their loss against the Miami Heat Sunday, it’s looking very likely that the Boston Celtics will be the third overall seed in the 2020 East Playoffs.
According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, the Celtics have only a 3.6 % chance of falling to the No. 4 seed according to NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg.
Currently, that would have the Celtics facing the Philadelphia 76ers, who currently own the No. 6 slot in the East, trailing the Indiana Pacers by one game and the Miami Heat by two.
The 76ers have five games left, and three with teams owning a winning record — the Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors and Houston Rockets — along with the Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns.
In part because of remaining strength of schedule, ESPN’s BPI metric projects Celtics with only a 3.6% chance of sliding back to No. 4 seed.
Being 2 up on Miami in the loss column because of Heat’s extra game aiding Boston’s hold on 3 seed.
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) August 5, 2020
The Pacers also have five games left, with all but one against winning clubs (vs. the Suns), the rest against the Heat (twice!), Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Finally, the Heat will play the Suns, Pacers (also twice), Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks for their remaining games, joining the Pacers as having among the toughest remaining schedules left in the Disney ‘bubble’.
Looking at the schedules for the Celtics three potential first-round opponents, it seems likely the 76ers will have the best record of the three with two to three more wins.
Memphis lottery pick looking like a stronger possibility for Boston https://t.co/BCheuXo8yy
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 5, 2020
The Heat should be the next best with one or two more wins, and the Pacers likely to win only one of their remaining games (likely the Suns) with a small chance to win one of its two tilts with the Heat.
Given the current standings, our prediction is that Indiana falls to the sixth seed, and Philadelphia rises to the fifth to face Miami — who remain in fourth place — in the first round,
This outcome would have Boston squaring off with the Pacers to start of the postseason, perhaps the best option of the three teams the Celtics could end up facing.
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