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With the playoffs approaching and the Boston Celtics all but assured a spot in the dance (let's face it; they're in), it's time to start looking at potential first-round matchups and determining who the Celtics would want to see and who they would not want to see early on.

If 100 Boston fans came up with lists ranking who they'd prefer to face from least to most, they would probably look very similar. Sure, there would be some minor discrepancies here and there, but for the most part, we would probably all be able to agree on who the most dangerous ballclubs are.

With 20 games left, we are starting to get a general idea of where the C's are going to be seeded. Barring a spectacular run coupled with a catastrophic collapse by the New York Knicks, the Atlantic Division title is probably out of the question, so we can all but rule out the chance of getting a top-three seed (although stranger things have happened).

That means the Celtics will likely be seeded anywhere from fourth through eighth, and it's also hard to imagine Boston ending up below the Milwaukee Bucks in the standings (even though they are currently only separated by a game-and-a-half). So, if you want to go even deeper, the C's are likely looking at no worse than a seven seed.

All things considered, it's worth exploring every possible matchup the Celtics could find themselves in when the first round comes.

Why don't you come up with your own lists in the comments section? Rank who you would want to see in the first round from least to most.

All statistics in this article are accurate as of March 11, 2013.