Trying to make sense of the Eastern Conference playoff picture feels like an exercise in futility, but let's give it a shot.

The #1 Seed

The Raptors were seemingly cruising to a #1 seed, and are still in good shape, but a shorthanded Celtics team has made it more interesting than it should be. Boston has created a bit of a headache for the Raptors by winning 5 straight - They snatched a dramatic home win over the Thunder and followed it up with a 4-0 Western road trip with W's over the playoff-bound Blazers and Jazz. The Celtics sit three games back of Toronto with seven to play, but two of the next three will be head-to-head.

The Raptors visit Boston on Saturday, then play in the tomb known as Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday, followed by a home date with the Celtics next Wednesday (An ESPN game nonetheless) Meanwhile, the Celtics will travel to Milwaukee next Tuesday before their game in Toronto.

If Boston beats the Raptors at home and the Bucks on the road, they will have a chance to tie Toronto with a win at the ACC next Wednesday, provided the Raps lose in Cleveland (A place they haven't won a meaningful game in since 2014) Of course, the Raptors still control their own destiny. A win in Boston and the race is essentially over, but a loss on the parquet nudges the door open ever so slightly.

The #3 Seed

It's been well-documented - everyone wants to avoid Lebron James in the playoffs as long as possible. No one in the East has beaten him in almost a decade, so why not avoid Bron as long as possible? Keeping themselves in the #1 seed and the Cavs in the 3-hole is the best-case scenario for the Raptors, as it ensures no potential meeting until the Conference Finals.

Cleveland finishing 3rd appeared to be a fait accompli after the trade deadline moves sparked them. The Celtics were too far ahead for 2nd and no team really appeared as a consistent enough threat to pass them. The young 76ers are coming on strong, and absolutely annihilating the win total of 40.5 set by Vegas before the season. With barely a game to separate them, the Cavs do hold the tie-breaker but also play in Philly on April 6th. The Sixers' prospects have taken a hit with the potentially-devastating Joel Embiid injury - but as the great Zach Lowe put it - their schedule is angel food cake. It's conceivable that Philly doesn't lose another game for the rest of the regular season, with or without Embiid.

For the Raptors, winning in Boston is made more important by the flexibility it provides. A 4-game lead for 1st would allow Dwane Casey to potentially rest players in Cleveland, aiding them in the hunt for 3rd.

Fools Gold?

Who thought the Indiana Pacers would've been in the mix for 3rd with only a handful of games remaining? They've been arguably the biggest surprise of the season - a team that was supposed to be fodder in the East is now fighting for home-court in the playoffs. They're neck and neck with the Cavs and 76ers but I can't consider them as a real horse in this race just because of their remaining schedule. @LAC, @DEN, GSW, @TOR, @CHA, CHA is a tricky grouping of final games, and even losing one or two of those might derail any shot of 3rd. With that said, they've surprised all season, so maybe they continue that. Still, I feel Indy finishing as a 4th or 5th seed is the likely outcome.

Bottom's up

The race at the bottom is feisty, and it directly influences Toronto's potential 1st round matchups. The Wizards, Heat, and Bucks are separated by one game, and they can finish in any combination of 6-7-8 at this point.

These are their remaining schedules:

Wizards - CHA, @CHI, @HOU, @CLE, ATL, BOS, @ORL
Heat - BRK, ATL, @ATL, @NYK, OKC, TOR
Bucks - @DEN, BOS, BRK, @NYK, ORL, @PHI

I don't even know what to say about the Wizards. They can beat anyone on any given night and can lay an egg against anyone. It wouldn't shock me if they beat the Rockets or Cavs, only to lose to the Hawks or Bulls. As unreliable as the Wizards can be, they're an uneasy 1st round matchup for the Raptors. The Wiz and Raps have split the season series 2-2, and each game has been hard-fought. They have two all-star caliber players and have the confidence of having swept the Raptors in 2015 (albeit both teams are much different at this point)

On paper, the Heat the have the easiest schedule. Four lottery teams, and late games with the Thunder and Raptors that could meaningless for both teams. It's plausible that they run the table and move up to 6th.

The Bucks schedule isn't grueling by any means, but they have to finish their Western road trip in air-deficient Denver and have a couple of tough games against Boston and Philly. The Bucks are going to drop games here and there, they've done it all year. They also have the disadvantage of not owning a tie-breaker with either Miami or Washington, so it seems they're likeliest to finish 8th.

If the Raptors do their job in securing the #1 spot, another spring trip to Milwaukee is probably the cards.