The set-up: The 51-29 Boston Celtics are tied with the Cavs for the East's best record (with two games left for both teams) but Cleveland does own the tiebreaker. Isaiah Thomas scored 32 points as Boston lost a 19-point lead in the second half but held on to beat Charlotte 121-114 on Saturday, ending a two-game slide. Meanwhile, the Cavs lost 126-125 yesterday. Boston welcomes the 20-60 Brooklyn Nets to the TD Garden and while the Nets have clinched the worst record in the NBA, they have won four of their last five and are 11-11 since March 1, after going 9-49 (.155) through the end of February.

Brooklyn: The Nets' .500 run since Mar. 1 has given the players some confidence it can close out teams. Spencer Dinwiddie and rookie Caris LeVert scored 19 points apiece in Brooklyn's home finale Saturday nigh (a 107-106 win over the Bulls) plus Rondae-Hollis Jefferson finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals. That said, it's been the return PG Lin from his hamstring problems (14.2 & 5.1 APG) which has sparked the Nets' recent respectable play, along with the season-long solid play from center Lopez (20.5 & 5.3) Lin is averaging 18.8 points while shooting 11-for-19 from three-point range over the last four games.

Boston: Head coach Brad Stevens gathered his players during a timeout when they were down seven midway through the fourth quarter, after Boston had blown a 19-point lead. He told them they can expect this kind of adversity in the postseason. "At this point in the season, it's just about figuring out ways to win," Isaiah Thomas said after the game. "When (he) said that, it was real though. The playoffs are going to be different types of games where you just got to figure out a way to win. The Celtics bounced back from losses to the Cavs and Hawks with a win at Charlotte on Saturday night and now still have a chance at the East's No. 1 seed.

The pick: With three days (two games) remaining in the regular season, Boston's best (only?) chance to win the East would be wins over the Nets and Bucks at home, while the Cavs lose tonight in Miami. The Cavs finish with the Raptors at home on Wednesday and Toronto would have little motivation to win Wednesday's finale if it meant a possible second-round matchup with the Cavaliers. A real problem for Boston is the Celtics have given up at least 114 points in three straight games and in four of its last five. Defense remains a concern with the playoffs on the horizon but note that Brooklyn allows 112.5 PPG, ranking 29th of 30 teams. The over is a 10* play.