The wise guys' money isn't exactly pouring in these days to bet on the Celtics in the race for the East's No. 1 seed. The Bulls are three games up with five to play in the regular season — in other words, their magic number is three. It would take a pretty epic turn of events for the Bulls, winners of 16 of their last 18, to surrender their lead now.
But that doesn't mean it's impossible.
If the Celtics close out the season strong and the Bulls run out of gas down the stretch against a tough schedule, the guys in green still have a fighting chance.
Don't believe me? Let's take a look at the schedule:
Boston:
- Thursday at Chicago
- Friday vs. Washington
- Sunday at Miami
- Monday at Washington
- Wednesday vs. New York
Chicago:
- Thursday vs. Boston
- Friday at Cleveland
- Sunday at Orlando
- Tuesday at New York
- Wednesday vs. New Jersey
Both teams are on the road for three of the five games. Both have three Eastern Conference playoff teams and two relative cupcakes. But a few of these opponents — the Heat, the Magic, the Knicks — are hungry, playoff-ready teams, and, in a meaningful game with adrenaline running high, you just never know what can happen.
Can the Celtics go 5-0 over that stretch? It's absolutely possible. They'll be fired up for Thursday's head-to-head, and, if they get that win, they can ride the momentum to an inspired final week. They're a combined 9-2 against the four teams on the docket.
Can the Bulls go 2-3? Not likely, but you never know. The C's are surely capable of pulling off the road win, the Magic already have one 107-78 annihilation of the Bulls on their resume this season, and the Knicks/Nets back-to-back swing is never easy.
You have to like the Celtics to outperform the Bulls over this final stretch. If they can pull off the win Thursday in the Windy City, it's smooth sailing from then on. They're already 3-0 against the Heat this season, and they're getting the Knicks at home on the second night of the brutal Bulls-Celtics back-to-back. The C's are definitely in position to do better than the Bulls this week, but how much better? That's the question.
The Celtics obviously aren't the favorites in this race, but all I'm saying is they've got a chance.
Home court will be important this spring. If these two teams end up meeting again next month in the Eastern Conference finals, then the last thing Boston wants is to give Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah a Game 7 in their building. Young stars like that thrive on the energy of their home crowds.
The C's have been sleepwalking through this regular season for weeks, but they should kick it up a notch now. Even if they don't fear the Bulls, there's also still the matter of a purple and gold-clad club out West looking for a home-court edge of its own. Time for the C's to dial it up rather than phone it in.
