The Boston Celtics have seemingly been locked into the second seed in the Eastern Conference for quite a while. They have had a huge lead on the Knicks for that spot.
Cleveland has been in the top spot in the East for most of the season. They have proven that they are one of the best teams in the NBA by being able to beat a lot of the top teams when they have faced off against them.
All of a sudden, the Cavs have lost four straight games. Now, the Celtics have a chance to somehow catch the Cavaliers for the top spot in the East.
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Boston has won nine of the last ten games they have played. They now are just five games behind the Cavs for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
All of a sudden, there is a chance that the Celtics could get home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. They have a slim chance to end up taking on the rest of the East from the comfort of the TD Garden.
If Boston does end up becoming the top seed in the East as they were last year, the rest of the Eastern Conference is going to have a hard time taking them down.
Five games is still a lot of ground to make up this late in the season. Not only will it take Boston continuing to win games, but the Cavs will have to continue their slide.
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The Celtics still have health issues of their own that they are trying to sort out. While he's back in the lineup, Kristaps Porzingis still isn't feeling his best.
He is still dealing with some effects of the illness that kept him out for seven straight games. They want him to be fully healthy before the playoffs start in three weeks.
Boston still thinks that they can repeat as champions if they are the second seed. They don't need home-court advantage throughout the playoffs to be the best team in the East.
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