Boston Celtics: Time to accept not getting the No. 1 seed

(Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The season is rapidly coming to an end and that means the standings are starting to take shape. With that said, it’s time for the Boston Celtics to accept the No. 2 seed.

The Boston Celtics have just 12 games remaining on their schedule. Their final game will wrap up on April 11, against the Brooklyn Nets. Currently, the Celtics are sitting comfortably in second place in the Eastern Conference.

The Toronto Raptors are having a great season and they’re sitting in the driver’s seat to receive the No.1 seed. They’ve got a five-game lead over the Celtics and will face off against each other two more times before the season ends.

Behind the Celtics is arguably one of the most confusing teams to watch/follow this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are 6.5 games back. They have had numerous problems with the staff or the other players throughout the season, including the NBA Trade Deadline when they completely rebuilt a new roster.

It was reported early Monday morning that Tyronn Lue will be stepping down from his coaching position because of health problems. We wish nothing but the best for Lue in his recovery.

The Cavaliers have a pretty easy schedule the rest of the way out. There are some good teams that they’ll play, but playing the Raptors twice will be the biggest bump in the road. Nothing is set in stone, but it would be hard for Cleveland to overtake the Celtics in the standings, despite the injuries plaguing Boston.

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Both Toronto and Boston have a pretty hard stretch coming up. Boston will play seven playoff or possible playoff teams, depending on how things shake out in the West. Toronto will play eight games against playoff or possible playoff teams as well.

Over half of the games these two teams will play are games that will be hard to win, especially if you count how injured the Celtics team is right now. Every game matters and you would like to see them build some sort of momentum moving into the playoffs.

For now, it looks like the Celtics will finish as the No. 2 seed. It’s a very good position to be in moving forward, but it’s somewhat of a disappointment after what looked to be a lock for the 1-seed at one point. The great play of the Raptors and the injuries the Celtics have sustain have plagued their season.

Being five games out of being the top seed in the East, making up that ground with 12 games remaining seems hard. The good news is that the team should be welcoming back Kyrie Irving soon and Jaylen Brown sometime this week.

Getting everyone back before the playoffs starts will be important — not because it’ll give them a better chance at winning in the playoffs, but it will give them time to start playing with each other again, which would hopefully boost any sort of lack of chemistry that has maybe built up while they’ve seen an extended absence away from each other.

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The way things are shaping up, it looks like Boston will more than likely finish the season as the second seed. Seeds are not all that important – though they do help, but the Celtics have shown that when they’re full strength, they’re a force to be reckoned with.