Just one game remains in the regular season and the Eastern Conference standings remain a jumble. That seems appropriate.
Let’s start with what we know. Two opening-round series are set:
No. 1 Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Pistons
No. 2 Raptors vs. No. 7 Pacers
Seeds Nos. 3-6 remain very much up in the air between the Hawks, Heat, Celtics and Hornets. In fact, the teams could still finish in a four-way tie. Oh, those tiebreakers. Also, each team can change their current position on the final day. The Hawks can still face any of the three other teams in the first round. The Hawks are guaranteed to open at home and the Hornets are guaranteed to open on the road.
Tonight’s schedule has Hawks at Wizards, Heat at Celtics and Magic at Hornets. According to the NBA, here are the scenarios:
Hawks will be seeded:
No. 3 if Hawks win and Heat lose (Hawks win Southeast Division)
No. 4 if Heat win OR Hawks lose (Heat win Southeast Division)
Heat will be seeded:
No. 3 if Heat win OR Hawks lose
No. 5 if Hawks win and Heat and Hornets lose
No. 6 if Hawks and Hornets win and Heat lose
Celtics will be seeded:
No. 4 if Celtics and Hawks win
No. 5 if Celtics and Hornets lose OR if Celtics win and Hawks lose
No. 6 if Hornets win and Celtics lose
Hornets will be seeded:
No. 5 if Heat and Hornets win OR if Hornets, Celtics and Hawks win
No. 6 if Hornets lose OR if Hornets and Celtics win and Hawks lose
————
Here is the current playoff picture in the East:
Eliminated from the playoffs: Chicago, Washington, Orlando, Milwaukee, New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia
x - Clinched playoff berth
y - Clinched division
z - Clinched top overall seed
About the Author
