It might be a little early for most fans of the Boston Celtics to start thinking about playoff seeding for the 2023 NBA Playoffs, but for Bleacher Report NBA analyst Greg Swartz, it’s been time to dip one’s toes in that particular pool for some time now.
And the B/R analyst put together a projection of how the East seeding situation will play out from Nos. 1 to 8 — and then did it again for the league’s West as well. That exercise of course included the Boston Celtics, who Swartz sees as destined to collide with their Atlantic Division foe, the Brooklyn Nets, in the first round once again as the top seed in the East.
“Things couldn’t be going much better for these Celtics,” begins the B/R writer.
A Celtics fan is designing a new uniform for each Boston win; here are all 20 so far https://t.co/T41tZ1qhZN
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 7, 2022
“Joe Mazzulla looks quite comfortable in his first year as a head coach, while Jayson Tatum is playing like a serious MVP candidate,” adds Swartz.
“Even better, the Celtics have the easiest remaining schedule of any Eastern Conference team and are expected to get Williams, one of the best defensive centers in all of basketball, back by Christmas. The Milwaukee Bucks will provide enough push for the Celtics to avoid any sort of letdown, and a healthy Philadelphia 76ers team is primed for a leap up the standings as well.”
“The best team in the East NBA thus far, the return of Williams and a cushy schedule will lead Boston to the No. 1 seed,” closes the author.
This player certainly ought to be on Boston’s radar should he be available when the Celtics are on the clock. https://t.co/0gsroLZUwh
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 6, 2022
We aren’t going to try and look that far ahead just yet here at the Celtics Wire given at this time last season it looked more like Boston might be destined for the play-in tourney than the finals.
But given the point of Swartz’s exercise is to do exactly that, a team with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving should always be good enough to be in the mix for postseason play.
But potentially unhealthy and combustible enough that having them on the fringes makes all the sense in the world — as does putting a team playing Boston has been at the top of the East come April.
It’s no coincidence this team has the most retired jersey numbers with 17 banners hanging alongside them as of Oct. 2022. https://t.co/dvwxoGx5aR
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 6, 2022
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