The Eastern Conference's path to the 2023 NBA Finals runs through... Milwaukee, as the Boston Celtics officially clinched the No. 2 seed Wednesday night.
The Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden on Wednesday, securing the second seed in their conference for the second consecutive season. Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla talked about his team’s playoff position following the win over the Raptors and isn't putting a ton of stock into it.
"It's good, I'm happy for our guys," Mazzulla said. "It doesn't matter as much as the mindset that we've carried the entire season. We've been a well-balanced team throughout the season. We've been at the top of both offense and defense, and I think we're developing that mindset as we head into the rest of the season and the playoffs.
Here is how the Eastern Conference standings look after the Celtics' win. The italicized teams are locked into their playoff position.
1 - Milwaukee Bucks (58-22)
2 - Boston Celtics (55-25)
3 - Philadelphia 76ers (52-27)
4 - Cleveland Cavaliers (50-30)
5 - New York Knicks (47-33)
6 - Brooklyn Nets (44-36)
7 - Miami Heat (42-37)
8 - Atlanta Hawks (41-39)
9 - Toronto Raptors (40-40)
10 - Chicago Bulls (38-42)
The NBA will host its third-annual play-in tournament prior to the official start of the postseason. Given the Celtics' place in the standings with just two games remaining, they will take on the winner of the No. 7 and No. 8 matchup in that tournament.
