How Celtics can clinch playoff spot vs. Heat
The Celtics have a chance to secure a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference when they battle the Heat in Miami Friday night.
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How Celtics can clinch playoff spot vs. Heat originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The NBA playoffs are still a full month away, but the Boston Celtics are on the verge of punching their official postseason ticket.
The defending champions can lock in a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference Friday night. They would need to beat the Heat in Miami and get some help from the Los Angeles Clippers in Atlanta.
Celtics secure top-six seed in East if:
- Celtics beat Heat (7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Boston)
- Clippers beat Hawks (7:30 p.m. ET)
The Celtics (47-19) sit 15 games ahead of the Hawks (32-34), who are currently at the top of the play-in bracket as the No. 7 seed in the East.
Both teams only have 16 games remaining in the regular season, but the Hawks could pass the Celtics in the standings since they own the tiebreaker over Boston with a 2-1 advantage in the season series.
Now, clinching a playoff spot is a mere formality for the Celtics at this point. Not only are they a virtual lock for the postseason, but they are becoming increasingly locked into their seeding.
The Celtics have a 99.8% chance of landing the No. 2 seed in the East, according to Basketball Reference’s Playoff Probabilities Report. They trail the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers (55-10) by 8.5 games and are 5.5 games ahead of the No. 3 New York Knicks.
The Hawks are listed as the most likely first-round opponent for the Celtics, as they have a 38.9% chance of becoming the No. 7 seed for the playoffs, according to Basketball Reference’s Playoff Probabilities Report.
Next up: The Orlando Magic (31-36) have a 29.1% chance of becoming the East’s No. 7 seed, while the Heat (29-36) have a 22.5% chance of earning the No. 7 seed and creating a potential first-round rematch with the Celtics.
The Detroit Pistons (37-30, 4.4% chance at No. 7 seed), Chicago Bulls (28-38, 3.2%) and Indiana Pacers (36-28, 1.2%) also have slims chances of becoming Boston’s first-round foe.
Even if the Celtics do not clinch a playoff berth Friday night, they could get another crack at it on Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets during the second end of a road back-to-back.
