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OKC Thunder: Analyzing stretch run schedules with view to seeding

By Tamberlyn Richardson

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - FEBRUARY 26: Anthony Davis
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - FEBRUARY 26: Anthony Davis /
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OKC Thunder stretch report
BOSTON, MA – MARCH 20: Jayson Tatum /

Boston Celtics:

It’s been a year filled with devastating injuries, superior performances and even crazy luck. Even in this past week all of these elements played a role. The biggest news out of Boston is Kyrie Irving’s injury and potentially missing the postseason.

It’s a double edged sword for the team since Kyrie Leonard is Boston’s primary scorer, playmakers and title experience. News Marcus Smart is expected out six to eight weeks implies he could miss the entire playoffs.  The question is, can the Celtics navigate without the emotional heart of the team?

Tuesday night the leprechauns were in full effect as they were in Portland. Notably this is no disrespect to the team who’ve been stellar. Rather, this is more of a note regarding the copious occasions the ball just seems to bounce the Celtics way. Hey, at this point with the adversity the squad has faced they deserve some luck of the Irish.

As for talent, Jayson Tatum is displaying super star performances while Marcus Morris is channeling the player from Phoenix who teams were fighting to add to their squad.

Remaining schedule includes:

  • At Utah Jazz, Wednesday 28
  • Toronto Raptors, Saturday 31
  • At Milwaukee Bucks, Tuesday, April 3
  • At Toronto Raptors ,Wednesday 4
  • Chicago Bulls, Friday 6
  • Atlanta Hawks, Sunday 8
  • At Washington Wizards, Tuesday 10
  • Brooklyn Nets, Wednesday 11

I’m not sure how realistic it is to ask these young Celtics to continue to perform like this, but kudos to the youngsters, role players and Brad Stevens for making the top seed in the Eastern Conference more interesting.

To that end, the magic number for Toronto to clinch top seed in the east is six (combination of Raptors wins or Celtics losses). With just eight games remaining for both sides it will be tight, however the two games against each other loom since they offer a potential four point shift of the magic number.

Boston play half their games on the road with five games versus potential playoff seeds and have two more back to back sets remaining. Coincidentally, Toronto has precisely the same schedule dynamics.

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