Celtics’ Loss to Heat Means C’s, Knicks on First-Round Collision Course As NBA Playoffs Near

The Celtics lost an important game on Sunday afternoon in Miami to the Heat. With the win, LeBron James and Co. went a long way in trying to secure the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference.

If the seedings do hold true to that, it means that the Celtics would open the playoffs in very interesting style. While the playoffs don't start until April 16, if they were to start today, the C's would meet up with Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks.

The Celtics seemed destined to clash with Philadelphia, but Sunday's loss dropped them into the third spot, setting up a Heat-76ers first-round series.

The NBA regular season ends on Wednesday, but here are all of the potential first-round matchups.

Eastern Conference
1. Chicago vs. 8. Indiana
2. Miami vs. 7. Philadelphia
3. Boston vs. 6. New York
4. Orlando vs. 5. Atlanta

Western Conference
1. San Antonio vs. 8. Memphis
2. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 7. New Orleans
3. Dallas vs. 6. Portland
4. Oklahoma City vs. 5. Denver