When the Celtics blew a 22-point lead and lost to the Cavaliers on Feb. 28, it appeared that their hopes of getting the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference vanished. They had fallen 7.5 games back of the Cavaliers for the top seed with just over a month of basketball left to be played.
Four weeks later, Boston has a pathway to getting the No. 1 seed. Cleveland has been cold since its 16-game winning streak ended on March 16, losing five of its last eight games. The Celtics, meanwhile, have gotten hot, winning their eighth game in a row on Saturday as their schedule has lightened up following a two-week homestand where they played a handful of contenders.