Buckle up, Boston Celtics fans. The next six weeks could be a wild ride.
The Celtics have just 22 regular-season games remaining as they emerge from the NBA All-Star break, and their playoff position is anything but solidified. Boston (34-26) sits just 4.5 games behind the No. 1 seed Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference, and only 2.5 games separate the five teams ahead of the C's.
Also looming are the pesky Toronto Raptors (0.5 games behind the Celtics) and the No. 8 seed Brooklyn Nets, who could be poised for a late surge after adding Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond at the NBA trade deadline.
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So, how will Boston's final 22 games play out? Who will they draw in the first round of the playoffs, and which team will emerge from a loaded conference?
Who are the best and worst playoff matchups for Celtics in the East?
Our partners at Strat-O-Matic simulated the rest of the NBA regular season and postseason to find out -- and let's just say Celtics fans will find the results interesting.
Final Eastern Conference standings
Boston Celtics
The Celtics stay red-hot, going 18-4 down the stretch to finish 52-30 and earn the No. 2 seed by virtue of a tiebreaker over the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers.The Bulls fade to the No. 5 seed, while the Nets barely make the play-in tournament at 40-42 and stunningly fall to the crosstown rival New York Knicks to end their season.
The No. 8 seed Atlanta Hawks defeat the No. 7 Raptors in the play-in tournament to draw Boston in Round 1 -- which turns out to be bad news for the Celtics.
Celtics playoff results
Trae Young and Co. elevate their game in the playoffs for the second straight year, upsetting the No. 2 Celtics in seven games to bounce Boston out of the postseason.
While Atlanta took two out of three from the Celtics in the regular season, this is still a tough pill to swallow for a C's team that appeared to be hitting its stride with a "core" of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams and recent trade deadline acquisition Derrick White.
Eastern Conference and NBA Finals results
Joel Embiid, James Harden and the Sixers sweep the top-seeded Heat in the second round, but Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks outlast Philly in a seven-game East final series to advance to their second consecutive NBA Finals.
The Golden State Warriors deny Milwaukee the repeat, however, as Stephen Curry and a healthy Klay Thompson help defeat the Bucks in seven games to capture the franchise's fourth championship since 2015.