SB Nation Reacts: Celtics dubbed favorites to snag East’s top seed; Sixers a distant third

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With just over a week remaining in the 2021-22 NBA regular season, the race for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference remains bunched up. At 49-28, the Miami Heat currently hold the top spot, but the 48-28 Milwaukee Bucks are in hot pursuit, especially after a pair of impressive wins over the Sixers and Brooklyn Nets this week.

A little further back are the 47-30 Boston Celtics (two games behind) and 46-30 Sixers (2.5 games behind). Some fortuitous breaks would have to land their way for either team to claim the top seed, but they’re certainly still in contention.

In a recent national poll, 41 percent of voters selected Boston as their favorite to end the regular season with the No. 1 seed. The Celtics entered Monday with that crown, but a couple losses from them, as well as a couple Heat wins, saw them fall to the three seed.

They’ll also be without starting center Robert Williams III for the foreseeable future after he suffered a torn meniscus in Sunday’s victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Concluding next week atop the East isn’t implausible for Boston, but looks much tougher than five days ago. I’d wager this survey was finalized before Williams’ injury broke and amid Miami’s four-game slide last week.

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