Eastern Conference Playoff Picture: Celtics clinch, Hawks third again

The Celtics clinched an Eastern Conference playoff berth Sunday with a win at the Lakers, leaving four teams vying for the final two spots.

For the second straight day the idle Hawks moved up a spot. They are again third after the Hornets lost to the Cavaliers. The Hawks fell to fifth after a loss to the Cavaliers on Friday. The Hawks, Celtics, Heat and Hornets remain within a half-game and all are tied in the loss column with 32 defeats. Of those four teams, the Heat (.513) have the toughest remaining strength of schedule followed by the Hawks (.508), Hornets (.496) and Celtics (.390). The NBA calculates strength of schedule by looking at the opponents in a team’s remaining games, their winning percentage on the road or at home and whether or not either team is on the second night of a back to back.

The Pacers moved back into the seventh spot with a tie breaker over the Pistons.

There are no NBA games Monday. Key games in the East on Tuesday are: Suns at Hawks, Hornets at Raptors, Pistons at Heat, Bulls at Grizzlies and Cavaliers at Bucks.

Here’s a look at the playoff picture in the East: