It’s way too early to start talking playoffs, the Celtics have barely set their lineups, but with the clock ticking at 23 games remaining the thought should at least creep into your head.
The notion of Boston gaming the standings to find a favorable first-round opponent is unlikely, only 3.5 games sit between the 4-8 seeds in the conference and the Blake Griffin-led Pistons now only lay 1.5 games behind the Kelly Olynyk-led Heat for the final playoff spot.
While the bottom of the standings will likely determine who Boston will see, the Celtics are only two games behind the top-seeded Raptors and 4.