Celtics Projected First Round Opponent is Good News for Boston

The Boston Celtics have been playing some stress-free basketball in the last couple of weeks. They have been locked into the second seed in the Eastern Conference standings for quite a while.

They know that they don't have to try to win games anymore in the regular season. All they have to do is sit back and wait to see who they will play in the first round of the playoffs.

While they still have two possible opponents, it looks like there is one team that is in the driver's seat to be their first-round opponent.

The Celtics could possibly be playing the Orlando Magic after they clinched the seventh spot in the East. That means they will host a play-in game.

Orlando is one of the teams that the Celtics would love to play in the first round. While the Magic are typically one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, their offense is not consistent enough to beat good teams.

The Magic have also had a ton of injuries, including Jalen Suggs. Suggs is their best perimeter defender and he is out for the seaason.

Boston would be locking their chops if they were to take on the Magic in the first round. The Celtics are one of the best offensive teams in the league when they are hitting their 3-point shots.

The Magic will be taking on either the Hawks or the Heat in the Play-In Tournament. Orlando is much less dangerous than either of those two teams in a seven-game series.

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Orlando is dead in the middle of the NBA in net rating. They are 15th out of the 30 teams, so they are about as average of a team as you can possibly be.

Boston is third in net rating, so they are much better than the Magic. They would have a shot to sweep Orlando if that is who they have to play in the first round of the playoffs.

If Boston is able to keep their guys healthy in that first round, they have an opportunity to get some much-needed rest ahead of the second round.

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Ranking the Celtics' Four Possible First-Round Playoff Opponents

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