Talk About A Complicated Playoff Scenario For The Celtics As They Wait For First Round Opponent

When the Boston Celtics wrap up Wednesday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, they will have a clearer picture on who will be coming to Boston for the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

With the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards in the midst of a heated race for the six seed and below in the East, the C’s and others remain waiting in the wings to find out who their first round opponents will be.

Bare with me now as we go ahead and break down the possible playoff scenarios for the Celtics and beyond.

Wednesday’s Matchup For Each Team:

Milwaukee Bucks (#6 @ 44-37)

Wednesday at Philadelphia 76ers (#3 in East @ 51-30)

Miami Heat (#7 @ 43-38)

Wednesday vs. Toronto Raptors (#1 in East @ 59-22)

Washington Wizards (#8 @ 43-38)

Wednesday at Orlando Magic (#14 in East @ 24-57)

First off, if the playoffs started today, the Celtics would be playing the Heat in the first round. But lets continue, shall we?

So with the Heat losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, they have now fallen from six to seven in the Eastern Conference standings. But they have a chance to regain the six seed if they can get a home win on Wednesday night against the Raptors and the Bucks fall to the 76ers in Philly.

This can happen because the Heat would bump the Bucks down a peg because they own the tiebreaker over the Bucks due to the fact that they swept the season series 3-0.

If the Bucks can get a win in Philly, they will lock down the six seed and will more than likely draw the 76ers in the first round. But the Cleveland Cavaliers can jump to the three seed with a win on Wednesday against the New York Knicks, and a 76ers’ loss to the Bucks.

The Cavs own the tiebreaker over the 76ers because they have a better winning percentage against conference teams. And for all intensive purposes, the Indiana Pacers are locked into the five spot.

Washington has a shot to move from eight to seven with a win over the Magic and a Heat loss to the Raptors, and they will get the C's in the first round.

And if both the Heat and Bucks lose, with the Wizards getting a win, they will propel up to the six spot because they own the tiebreaker over the Bucks, who they'd be tied with in the standings. And the Bucks will fall to the seven seed and get the Celtics in the first round.

Lastly, if everyone wins, nothing changes. Bucks stay in sixth, Heat in seventh, and the Wizards in eighth. And the Celtics will draw the Heat in the first round.

RELATED: Brown Drops 21 First Quarter Points, Wizards Still Beat Celtics

To make things a little easier, here’s a run down on the tiebreakers if there are any ties in the standings after tonight’s run of games.

The Heat holds the tiebreaker over the Bucks by winning the season series 3-0.

Miami also owns the tiebreaker over the Wizards because they have a better “divisional winning percentage” (DWP) at .687 (11-5) compared to the Wizards’ .533 DWP (8-7), which is subject to change but will not exceed the Heat’s DWP.

The Wizards hold the tiebreaker as of now over the Bucks because they have a better “conference winning percentage” (CWP) at .549 (28-23) vs. the Bucks’ .529 CWP (27-24).

Here’s a wicked big kicker! Now if the Wizards lose and the Bucks win, it’ll come down to who has the better “W-L Percentage vs. Playoff teams, own conference,” according to the NBA.

With one game remaining on the schedule for the Celtics and the rest of the NBA, the C's first round opponent is yet to be known. But your radio play-by-play voice of the Celtics breaks down the scenarios below.

Every game on the slate for Wednesday night begins at 8:00 p.m. or later, with all the "must watch" games for C's fans tipping off at 8:00 p.m.

So get your popcorn ready because it's going to be a wild and crazy night in the NBA with so much on the line for these championship contenders.

More On The NBA Playoffs:

The regular season ends Wednesday with a full slate of 12 games, including scheduled games for all four teams mentioned above.

Playoff rosters must be set by Friday at 3 p.m. ET, with the first round of the NBA playoffs beginning the next day, Saturday, April 14.

The conference semifinals series are scheduled for April 30/May 1 but could be moved up to April 28/April 29.

The conference finals series are scheduled for May 15/May 16 but could be moved up to May 13/May 14.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for May 31 with a Game 7 on June 17 if necessary.

RELATED: Celtics Can Rest Players In Second Of Back-To-Back

UP NEXT: The Celtics (54-27) welcome the Brooklyn Nets (28-53) to the TD Garden on Wednesday for their final regular season game. Catch the call of the game with Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell, live on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Pre-game coverage begins at 7:30 p.m., with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m.

-- By John 'The Dude' Hardiman, 985TheSportsHub.com

John Hardiman is a Digital Producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for John? Hit him up on Twitter @HardiDude or e-mail him at john.hardiman@bbgi.com.

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