The waiting game continues for the Celtics as we enter the final three days of the regular season, with three potential first-round opponents still in play. Currently, the Bucks and Heat are tied for the No. 6 seed with a 43-37, but the Heat hold the head-to-head tiebreaker which pushes the Bucks to the No. 7 spot for the time being. The Wizards are all alone in eighth place, a game behind Miami and Milwaukee with a 42-38 record after dropping their last four games.
What is on the line Monday night? Could the Celtics have an answer for their first-round opponent by the time the night ends? Not quite, but one team could be eliminated from the mix. Let's break down the latest scenarios:
Head-to-head tiebreakers
- Heat over Bucks (3-0)
- Wizards over Bucks (2-2 head-to-head, but Wizards win via conference record)
- Heat over Wizards (2-2 head-to-head, but Heat win divisional record, which would be eventual tiebreaker)
Three way-tiebreaker
- 1. Heat, 2. Wizards, 3. Bucks (Based on head-to-head matchups)
REMAINING SCHEDULES
Wizards:
vs. BOS, @ ORL
Heat:
vs. OKC, @ TOR
Bucks:
vs. ORL, @ PHI
Monday's games
Tuesday's games
Wednesday's games
ANALYSIS/SCENARIOS
If the Heat win and Bucks lose on Monday, the Heat clinch the No. 6 seed.
Malcolm Brogdon
If the Bucks win Monday and the Celtics beat the Wizards, they will avoid Washington in Round 1:
Heat finish with No. 7 seed if
- Heat go 0-2, Bucks go 1-1 (or better) and Wizards go 0-2
- Heat go 1-1 and Bucks go 2-0.
Bucks finish with No. 7 seed if
- Bucks go 2-0 and Heat go 2-0
- Bucks go 1-1, Heat go 1-1 and Wizards finish 1-1 or 0-2
- Bucks go 0-2 and Wizards go 0-2
Wizards finish with No. 7 seed if
- Wizards go 2-0, Bucks go 1-1 (or worse) and Heat finish 1-1 or 2-0
- Wizards go 1-1 and Bucks go 0-2
