The Boston Celtics may have 56 wins with a chance for 57, but their regular season was still an underachievement.

Despite throttling the Milwaukee Bucks on the road recently, it was too little too late, as the Bucks have clinched the best record in the NBA and home court advantage throughout the 2023 playoffs. The C’s beat the Bucks in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals, and won Game 6 in Milwaukee on the way to pulling it off.

That series would be a much bigger challenge now, with Boston having to win a potential Game 7 on the road in Milwaukee. But there’s a silver lining to this, and something that will benefit the Celtics greatly if they can still get past the Bucks and return to the NBA Finals.

• It’s important to note that the Celtics still finished with the second-best record in not just the east but the entire NBA. So, if they can best the Bucks in the playoff series for the second straight year – and there’s little reason to believe they can’t – and make it to the NBA Finals, they will have home court advantage regardless of opponent. Not to mention, they have home court over every other team outside of Milwaukee.

  It’s also reasonable to believe that the Celtics should be favored and win in a series against any of the Western Conference powers. The Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns comprise the top-4 out west. The defending champion Golden State Warriors, meanwhile, are clinging to the 6-seed, with a chance to drop into the play-in round if the Lakers can tie their final record.

• 

  PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 07: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics high fives Jaylen Brown #7 during the second half of the NBA game at Footprint Center on December 07, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

• The C’s made it unnecessarily hard on themselves to get through the Eastern Conference, dropping some seriously disappointing losses along the road to the start of the playoffs. They lost two to the Orlando Magic (34-47), and one each to the Houston Rockets (21-60) and Washington Wizards (35-46), for instance.

  But there’s at least comfort in knowing that there’s no clear powerhouse to have to beat in a Game 7 on the road out west. It very well could be just the Bucks that can conceivably stand in the Celtics’ way of winning the championship.

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  Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster 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 Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

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