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C's Officially Clinch Playoff Spot

Pierce will make his first appearance in the NBA Playoffs this year.
In a perfect world, the Celtics would clinch their first playoff spot
since 1995 with a glorious win at the FleetCenter, running off the
court to the applause of the fans.  But with some forward thinking and
a bit of mathematics, we can already say that the Celtics have
officially earned a spot in the 2002 NBA Playoffs.

At 43-32, the worst the Celtics can finish at is 43-39. A look at the
Eastern Conference standings shows six teams if they won all their
games and Boston lost all of theirs At first glance, it appears that
both Indiana and Toronto their remaining games, that forms a three-way
tie for the eighth and final playoff spot. But, because Boston swept
the season-series versus Indiana, the Celtics win the tie- breaker
with the Pacers.

That, in a nutshell, is how the Celtics have already qualified for the
2002 NBA Playoff