Skip to main content
#
 
 Basketball 
Saturday, April 01 2023
NBA East playoff picture: Celtics still alive for No. 1 seed; Current matchups, tiebreakers, projections

Below is a comprehensive snapshot of where things stand in the Eastern Conference playoff and play-in races entering play on Friday. This post will update daily throughout the remainder of the regular season or until all seeds are clinched. 

Reminder on how the play-in tournament works: No. 7 plays No. 8 and No. 9 plays No. 10. The winner of the 7-8 game gets the No. 7 seed, while the loser plays the winner of the 9-10 game for the  No. 8 seed. 

NOTE: Our SportsLine model, developed by predictive data engineer Stephen Oh, simulates the entire season 10,000 times to produce the most unbiased and precise projections imaginable.

1. Milwaukee Bucks (55-22)

  • Clinched top-four seed
  • Projected seed: 1
  • Current first-round matchup: TBD
  • Tiebreaker vs. Boston: Celtics clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Philadelphia: Sixers lead 2-1 with one to play

2. Boston Celtics (53-24)

  • Clinched top-four seed
  • Projected seed: 2
  • Current first-round matchup: vs. Heat-Hawks play-in winner
  • Tiebreaker vs. Milwaukee: Celtics clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Philadelphia: Celtics clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Cleveland: Cavs clinched

3. Philadelphia 76ers (50-26)

  • Clinched top-four seed
  • Projected seed: 3
  • Current first-round matchup: vs. Nets
  • Tiebreaker vs. Milwaukee: Tied 1-1 with one to play
  • Tiebreaker vs. Boston: Celtics clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Cleveland: Sixers clinched

4. Cleveland Cavaliers (48-29)

  • Clinched playoff spot
  • Projected seed: 4
  • Current first-round matchup: vs. Knicks
  • Tiebreaker vs. Boston: Cavs clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Philadelphia: Sixers clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. New York: Knicks lead 2-1 with one to play
  • Tiebreaker vs. Brooklyn: Tied 1-1 with one to play

5. New York Knicks (44-33)

  • Projected seed: 5
  • Current first-round matchup: at Cavs
  • Tiebreaker vs. Cleveland: Knicks lead 2-1 with one to play
  • Tiebreaker vs. Brooklyn: Knicks currently own via division win percentage
  • Tiebreaker vs. Miami: Knicks clinched

6. Brooklyn Nets (41-35)

  • Projected seed: 6
  • Current first-round matchup: at 76ers
  • Tiebreaker vs. Cleveland: Tied 1-1 with one to play
  • Tiebreaker vs. New York: Knicks currently own via division win percentage
  • Tiebreaker vs. Miami: Nets clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Atlanta: Nets lead 2-1 with one to play

PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT

7. Miami Heat (40-37)

  • Projected seed: 7
  • Current first-round matchup: vs. Hawks (play-in)
  • Tiebreaker vs. New York: Knicks clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Brooklyn: Nets clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Atlanta: Heat clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. TorontoRaptors clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Washington: Heat leads 2-1 with one to play

8. Atlanta Hawks (38-38)

  • Projected seed: 8
  • Current first-round matchup: at Heat (play-in)
  • Tiebreaker vs. Brooklyn: Nets lead 2-1 with one to play
  • Tiebreaker vs. Miami: Heat clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Toronto: Hawks clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Washington: Hawks leads 2-1 with one to play
  • Tiebreaker vs. Chicago: Bulls lead 2-1 with one to play

9. Toronto Raptors (38-38)

  • Projected seed: 9
  • Current first-round matchup: vs. Bulls (play-in)
  • Tiebreaker vs. Miami: Raptors clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Atlanta: Hawks clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Washington: Tied 1-1 with one to play
  • Tiebreaker vs. Indiana: Pacers clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Chicago: Raptors clinched

10. Chicago Bulls (36-40)

  • Projected seed: 10
  • Current first-round matchup: at Raptors (play-in)
  • Tiebreaker vs. Toronto: Raptors clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Washington: Bulls currently own via conference win percentage
  • Tiebreaker vs. Indiana: Pacers clinched

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

11. Washington Wizards (34-42)

  • Projected seed: Lottery
  • Tiebreaker vs. Toronto: Tied 1-1 with one to play
  • Tiebreaker vs. Indiana: Pacers currently own via conference win percentage
  • Tiebreaker vs. Chicago: Bulls currently own via conference win percentage

12. Indiana Pacers (33-44)

  • Projected seed: Lottery
  • Tiebreaker vs. Toronto: Pacers clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Washington: Pacers currently own via conference win percentage
  • Tiebreaker vs. Chicago: Pacers clinched
Posted by: AT 02:36 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Social Media
email usour twitterour facebook page