Celtics claim 5th in the East... for now

Now that's more like it. The Eastern Conference feels a little bit more normal now.

It has been a crazy start to the season in which the Eastern Conference has more winning teams than the Western Conference. However, things have returned almost to normal as relatively mediocre records sit in the middle of the playoff picture in the East.

The Celtics (24-21) are holding onto the 5th spot in the East right now, and sit 2 games out of 3rd place. Meanwhile, the Pacers, Pistons, and Heat all sit half a game back of the C's in 6th, 7th, and 8th place, respectively. It's a cozy spot for Boston.

Is it secure, though? Isaiah Thomas and the rest of the C's are back on the road tonight for a matchup with the Washington Wizards who Boston is 3-0 against so far this season. Then they face a lowly Denver Nuggets squad before a home and away series with the Orlando Magic this weekend. Or in other words, they should win their next 4.

And then how high can they climb? 3rd place is definitely attainable, but the 2nd place Toronto Raptors have won 8 straight games. Led by All-Star Kyle Lowry, they show no signs of stopping either. And are the 1st place Cavs going to hold onto their spot? In his first game after taking over for David Blatt, Tyronn Lue and the Cavaliers were blown out by the Chicago Bulls at home. If Cleveland starts losing, the 2nd seed could open up.

But also keep in mind that the Celtics were previously favored to win 28 of their next 32 games, dating back to the end of December. They then proceeded to lose to the Lakers and the Nets in their next two games.

It's been an unpredictable season, but for now, high fives all around. Let's enjoy 5th place.

Topher Lane is on Twitter, @Topher_L.