Celtics — Easiest path to finals ever?

[seaborneq]

Those teams were better than their seeds though

Lakers last year would handle this Pacers team

The Pacers are pretty on par with the 2021 Hawks that got to the ECF

That was a very bizarre year looking back. Bucks/Suns final lol

The Lakers and Heat won 1 game combined against the Nuggets. When it really counted they didn’t play above their seed.

 

[seaborneq]

Teams approach the regular season differently

Mavs were obviously top 2 team in the west but were in the 5 spot

Teams don’t go all out in the regular season. So can’t just analyze but what their seed is

How is it that the Mavs were an obvious top 2 team in the West, but you thought that the Nuggets/Lakers were the 2 best teams based on the regular season? Dallas had a better record than the Lakers and a worse record than the Nuggets and haven’t had home court advantage in any of their series. Would Dallas be an obvious top 2 team if they had lost to the Clippers in the first round?

 

[stormtrooper8]

How is it that the Mavs were an obvious top 2 team in the West, but you thought that the Nuggets/Lakers were the 2 best teams based on the regular season? Dallas had a better record than the Lakers and a worse record than the Nuggets and haven’t had home court advantage in any of their series. Would Dallas be an obvious top 2 team if they had lost to the Clippers in the first round?

Lakers were a better match up for Denver. Frankly Dallas was playing better than both of them post trade

I had been saying Clippers were gonna lose in the first round all season long and that they were a fraud team. They were never going to beat the Mavs. Mavs actually played a very lousy series against them

Based on regular season? My whole point is that the regular season doesn’t really matter. The best teams never go all out in the regular season. That’s just reality

 

[stormtrooper8]

The Lakers and Heat won 1 game combined against the Nuggets. When it really counted they didn’t play above their seed.

That’s a very black and white view

Lakers were not the 7th best team in the west last year and Heat were not the 8th best team in the East

 

[stormtrooper8]

You have to remember the Mavs were a very different team before they made the in season acquistions of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford. Minnesota went 3-1 vs Dallas in the regular season but they didn't face them after they made those moves. They're much better defensively now and have a legit third scorer in PJ Washington that they didn't have before.

Dallas did improve quite a bit after that trade, especially on defense

Can’t really put much stock into regular season record

For reference Phoenix swept the regular season series against Minnesota (I believe they won every game by double digits)

Then got swept in playoffs

Game changes. Things change. Reffing has especially changed these playoffs

 

[seaborneq]

Lakers were a better match up for Denver. Frankly Dallas was playing better than both of them post trade

I had been saying Clippers were gonna lose in the first round all season long and that they were a fraud team. They were never going to beat the Mavs. Mavs actually played a very lousy series against them

Based on regular season? My whole point is that the regular season doesn’t really matter. The best teams never go all out in the regular season. That’s just reality

If the regular season doesn’t matter what do you base how good a team will play in the post season on? If you are watching the team play before the playoffs or tracking their progress during the season those are regular season games too. What are you basing who is going to play the best in the post season on? Is it a “feel” thing? When you are wrong you discount the regular season when you are right it’s something else.

 

[jjgold]

Boston should win easy tonight

 

[stormtrooper8]

If the regular season doesn’t matter what do you base how good a team will play in the post season on? If you are watching the team play before the playoffs or tracking their progress during the season those are regular season games too. What are you basing who is going to play the best in the post season on? Is it a “feel” thing? When you are wrong you discount the regular season when you are right it’s something else.

....what?

My point is very obvious. Usually the best teams don't go all out in the regular season. Hence the seeding rarely reflects the actual ranking of teams

Sometimes they are so good they get the 1 seed anyway (think the Warriors with Durant, except the middle season). Hell sometimes teams are so good that they coast through playoff games (again, look at those Warriors)

Then of course injuries happen as well

My point is that anyone who thought the Lakers were the 7th best team in the West last year (or this year for that matter) has no clue what they're talking about

 

[stormtrooper8]

If the regular season doesn’t matter what do you base how good a team will play in the post season on?

Their roster (obviously)

Their history (example: Clippers doomed to fail because of their roster construction, Lakers outperform regular season because of guys like LeBron)

Their health (big wild card, and can obviously change)


LeBron teams in 2010s when he was still in the East good example. They were usually high up in the standings by default/talent advantage, but several times he was on a 2 seed (and occasionally worse) that was so clearly better than the 1 seed (that 60-win Hawks team and Isaiah Thomas Celtics teams are examples LOL and of course Toronto)

They wouldn't even try for the 1 seed if it was in reach

 

[baz]

 

[Wagerallsports]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1801086933776400528

 

[carolinakid]

in all it yrs no team has ever come back down 3-0

 

[kidcudi92]

Pacers shoulda had games 1 and 3, that woulda at least made that series interesting (Obv as a Pacers fan we were just happy to be in the ECF)

Pacers vs Mavs woulda been fun but Hali got hurt too

Instead here we stand