Stevens Doesn't Want To Hear About Celtics' Playoff Scenarios
BOSTON (CBS) -- Most of us got an ice cream headache trying to figure out the different playoff scenarios the Boston Celtics face heading into their final game of the regular season Wednesday night.
The C's are still trying to clinch home court advantage for the first round after dropping two straight to the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets. What it basically boils down to is the Celtics have to beat the Miami Heat on Wednesday night (and hope for an Atlanta win over Washington) to earn a Game 1 in Boston this weekend. If not, they'll be packing their bags and heading elsewhere to begin the postseason.
But all season long, Brad Stevens has focused on the task at hand. He doesn't get caught up in the what ifs that could have been, or what could happen if this, that and the other thing play out. With one game to go in the regular season, that hasn't changed.
"Somebody just put the scenarios on my desk and I said, 'Would you mind throwing that away?' It's a headache to even try to figure out," Stevens said prior to Tuesday's practice.
The Celtics had a shot at the three-seed until Monday night's defeat by the Hornets, an embarrassing loss that saw Charlotte go on a 31-3 run over an eight minute stretch in the second quarter. That followed a loss to the Hawks in Atlanta on Saturday that saw Boston squander a double-digit lead midway through the third quarter.
Last season at this time, the Celtics were playing their best basketball and it propelled them to a surprising postseason berth. This year, with their final three games against teams they're battling with for playoff position, that has not been the case. That means Wednesday's game against the Heat is now much more important than it had to be, from both a seeding and momentum standpoint.
Still, Stevens is drawing from whatever positives he can find in each of Boston's last two losses and hopes that finishing with a tough matchup against Miami -- winners of four of their last six -- will give them the postseason tune-up they need to end the regular season.
"I thought we learned a lot of things we could do well against Atlanta that we haven't in the past. Last night, we got killed in that eight minute stretch and we can take from that, and see how we play [against Miami]," said Stevens. "Certainly, you have to continue to focus on what you can control and that continues to stay the same."
The focus now is on beating the Heat on Wednesday, the step Boston can control when it comes to clinching home court. With a loss, Stevens will surely have that headache he'd hoped to avoid Tuesday morning.