Game 75: Raptors vs Celtics, Mon Mar 28, 2022, 7:30 PM, TSN

[saints91]

I hope Scottie feasts tonight.

[DanH]

Oh are we back to presenting defensive FG% like it means anything? Huh, good times. Thought we had thankfully moved past that as a society.

[Jclaw]

Interesting year in that there is no real substantial reward for getting seed 1 over 2, 3 or 4. I mean, BK is probably your 8 seed and they're the eastern conference favorite lol. Raptors are in 6th, but 4.5 games out of first. Just unprecedented levels of parity this year. So there's no control over your opponent, and also no real advantage where in years past at least 2 or 3 teams were pretty weak or even below .500. Rest will become more of a priority for the top teams

I'd say BKN is the odds on favourite for the 7th seed. Their behind CHA by a tie breaker now but just have to win one more game than them to be 8th. They'll win the 7/8 game. That's what makes the top of the bracket hard. You manipulate things to not come in first but not as easy to not come in second.

[saints91]

Ya, the nets will finish 8th, and then most likely come out of the plan-in in the 7th spot. Every team is trying to move out of 1 and 2.

[The Claw Reborn]

Ya, the nets will finish 8th, and then most likely come out of the plan-in in the 7th spot. Every team is trying to move out of 1 and 2.

Set aside the Williams injury which is definitely legitimate

tin foil hat on….

but how coincidental that both Tatum and Brown are in injury management right after they took first place and Nets had to drop half a game away from the 5th or 6th spot after that loss from Charlotte. Their chances of getting into the 6th spot got slimmer following that loss and increased the possibility of them in a play-in scenario….

tin foil hat off….

lol

[Demographic Shift]

Set aside the Williams injury which is definitely legitimate

tin foil hat on….

but how coincidental that both Tatum and Brown are in injury management right after they took first place and Nets had to drop half a game away from the 5th or 6th spot after that loss from Charlotte. Their chances of getting into the 6th spot got slimmer following that loss and increased the possibility of them in a play-in scenario….

tin foil hat off….

lol

It's the second game of a back to back late in the season. Boston is in the playoffs and there is no telling how the order of finish from 1 to 8 will wind up in the reg season.
Dont think after curb stomping everyone theyve played over the past two months that the chowders are worried about who they play in round 1. They will have the extra home game.

We luck out and get the advantage of the NBAs schedule quirks where Boston just said schedule loss..fuck it..rest them.
Why risk it?

Go Raps.

[JawsGT]

I really don't think these top teams in the east are really that worried about the nets. Nor should they be. Simmons is a bum that won't play. Kyrie is a bum but at least he can drop 40 in a tight loss. Harden got swapped for Seth curry. Brown brings some energy. Durant is the problem. The rest are old and injury prone. I mean, Durant has done less with more, so I don't get why folks are worried.

[G__Deane]

He was probably pissed drunk.. who wouldn't after sitting in that arena for 3+ hours listening to boring speeches all day.

The problem is every chick who has a husband/boyfriend/etc is going to wonder if their better half would have done the same thing to defend their honour. My wife asked me that this morning, and I laughed and said nope. Got a dirty look.. so thanks for nothing Will

Some other comedian Kathy Griffin(?) said paraphrase "great, now we all have to wonder if any off edgy joke will result in some lunatic jumping on the stage to assault us"

[gambler]

im telling you guys...teh celtics are done.....robert williams is a big part of what they do and the have no one on their bench remotely close to a precious/anunoby connection ....tehy have two lead feet guys in grant williams and daniel theis to take his place...even with the recent incredible play of precious the raptors are going nowhere without og just the same as the celtics are goig nowhere without the time lord

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js1c-xooWx0

[saints91]

This next week and a half is going to be a write off ... teams will be throwing games for tanking and seeding. There's very few teams fighting to move up. Minnesota will be fighting to get into the 6th spot, Denver will be fighting to stay in sixth. Then the Nets will be looking to get in that 7/8 matchup, and the Hornets will be trying to stay in that 7/8 matchup.

That leaves Chicago, Cleveland and the Raps fighting over 5,6,7. The Cavs have the Nets in the second last game of the season, We have Minni on Wednesday, The Bulls have the Hornets and Timberwolves in the final two games of the season. All the other games are unpredictable for effort due to seeding or tanking.

[KeonClark]

This next week and a half is going to be a write off ... teams will be throwing games for tanking and seeding. There's very few teams fighting to move up. Minnesota will be fighting to get into the 6th spot, Denver will be fighting to stay in sixth. Then the Nets will be looking to get in that 7/8 matchup, and the Hornets will be trying to stay in that 7/8 matchup.

That leaves Chicago, Cleveland and the Raps fighting over 5,6,7. The Cavs have the Nets in the second last game of the season, We have Minni on Wednesday, The Bulls have the Hornets and Timberwolves in the final two games of the season. All the other games are unpredictable for effort due to seeding or tanking.

All the top 4 seeds are just saying "no whammys no whammys no whammys" hoping they don't get the Brooklyn matchup. And they don't even know which seed they need to avoid yet, 1 or 2. I can guarantee without looking it's the first time in history a 7th or 8th seed is going to be the favorite. Weird year man.

[slaw]

All the top 4 seeds are just saying "no whammys no whammys no whammys" hoping they don't get the Brooklyn matchup. And they don't even know which seed they need to avoid yet, 1 or 2. I can guarantee without looking it's the first time in history a 7th or 8th seed is going to be the favorite. Weird year man.

Lakers were favoured against the Suns last season, too. I get the Nets have had injuries and maybe they can catch lightning in a bottle but teams are 7th or 8th seeds for a reason.

[slaw]

This next week and a half is going to be a write off ... teams will be throwing games for tanking and seeding. There's very few teams fighting to move up. Minnesota will be fighting to get into the 6th spot, Denver will be fighting to stay in sixth. Then the Nets will be looking to get in that 7/8 matchup, and the Hornets will be trying to stay in that 7/8 matchup.

That leaves Chicago, Cleveland and the Raps fighting over 5,6,7. The Cavs have the Nets in the second last game of the season, We have Minni on Wednesday, The Bulls have the Hornets and Timberwolves in the final two games of the season. All the other games are unpredictable for effort due to seeding or tanking.

I don't know.... Out east, if you're 0.5 game back of first do you want to stay in second and potentially get the Nets there or try for first and potentially get the Nets? How do you plan that until the last 1 or 2 games where you may not have any control anymore? And if you want the Bulls, let's say, do you need 4th or maybe 3rd? How do you know right now? Then 5-7 and 8-10 are battles.

4-7 is tight out west and there could be home court on the line. Lakers/Spurs for 10th is a dogfight.

I actually think this could be a very interesting final week and a half.

[KeonClark]

Lakers were favoured against the Suns last season, too. I get the Nets have had injuries and maybe they can catch lightning in a bottle but teams are 7th or 8th seeds for a reason.

Ah yes you're right, these covid years have produced some weird anomalies.

But yeah while the Nets have flaws, they are 31-17 when Kevin durant plays, a win % that would have them first In the east. He's simply the best player in the world, and them going 8-19 without him is why they are where they are. That's to say nothing about irving back full time and Simmons maybe coming in. I'd much rather take my chances with Garland and the cavs.

[inthepaint]

Lakers were favoured against the Suns last season, too. I get the Nets have had injuries and maybe they can catch lightning in a bottle but teams are 7th or 8th seeds for a reason.

Yeah I'm not so sure about the Nets either as a finals or even ECF contender. Apparently there's never been a team in league history that had a 7-game losing streak in the regular season and then went on to win a title. Nets had an 11-game losing streak this year. They sure look good on paper IF everything can click together, but Harden came and went, they've replaced him with a question mark in Simmons and they're still hovering around 8th. Like you say, there are reasons for that. That said, I don't want to see them early either