As the regular season draws to a close, the NBA playoffs remain uncertain and unpredictable.

April 14, 2024

As the regular season draws to a close, the NBA playoffs remain uncertain and unpredictable.

As the NBA regular season reaches its climax, multiple nail-biting finishes are in store for the final day of competition. With Sunday's games marking the end of the regular season, a staggering 15 out of the 20 playoff seeds in the expanded bracket, featuring a four-team play-in tournament in each conference, are still up for grabs. The entire league will take to the court for their last game, bringing much-awaited clarity to the playoff picture.

Only the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks, currently occupying the fourth and fifth seeds respectively in the Western Conference, are certain of their first-round opponents. Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics, clinching the top seed, are the lone team among the guaranteed playoff contenders to have secured their seeding. Moreover, the Chicago Bulls hold firm as the ninth seed, while the Atlanta Hawks occupy the tenth seed for the East's play-in tournament.

On Sunday, the NBA schedule is packed with seven games starting at 1 p.m. Eastern time and another eight games scheduled for 3:30 p.m., all happening simultaneously.

In the Eastern Conference, while the Boston Celtics have a comfortable lead, the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers are in a tight race for the second, third, and fourth seeds. If the Bucks defeat the Orlando Magic on Sunday, they will secure the second seed. Otherwise, the Knicks, facing the Bulls, and the Cavaliers, up against the Charlotte Hornets, have an opportunity to seize it.

Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets are vying for the top three seeds. Should the Thunder prevail over the Dallas Mavericks, they will clinch the number one spot. However, the Timberwolves, battling the Phoenix Suns, and the Nuggets, taking on the Memphis Grizzlies, could climb up the ladder if the Thunder stumble.

Further down the Western standings, the Suns and New Orleans Pelicans are competing for the sixth seed. The Pelicans, hosting the Los Angeles Lakers, have a chance to secure the last guaranteed playoff berth in the conference. Meanwhile, the Suns could move up with a win against the Timberwolves coupled with a Pelicans loss.

In both conferences, the play-in tournament frenzy is in full swing, adding an extra layer of excitement and unpredictability. Notably, prominent stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Joel Embiid face the peril of potential elimination even before the playoffs' first round begins.

The play-in tournament, introduced in 2020 and expanded in 2021, was crafted to inject heightened stakes and competitiveness into the latter stages of the regular season. In its expanded form, the top six seeds in each conference automatically qualify for the playoffs. The seventh seed has to win one of two play-in games (if needed) to secure a playoff berth, while the eighth seed receives two opportunities in the play-in format and also hosts the second game if necessary. The ninth seed needs to win both play-in games to advance but hosts the first game. Meanwhile, the 10th seed faces the challenge of winning two away games in the play-in round to secure a place in the playoff bracket.

The format largely succeeded in its aim to motivate teams to compete more fiercely in the latter part of the regular season, resulting in a complex array of potential scenarios based on the outcomes of Sunday's games.

In the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat find themselves in a position where they could rise as high as the fifth seed or drop as low as the eighth seed. If all four teams secure victories, both Orlando and Indiana will secure guaranteed playoff berths, relegating Philadelphia and Miami to the play-in tournament. However, the Magic face a tough challenge against the Milwaukee Bucks, while the other three teams are up against opponents who are out of playoff contention.

In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, and Golden State Warriors are locked in a three-way battle for the eighth, ninth, and tenth seeds in the play-in tournament. If the Lakers manage to pull off an upset against the New Orleans Pelicans on the road, they will secure the eighth seed. However, if the Lakers suffer a defeat, they are likely to drop to the tenth seed. On the other hand, the Kings and Warriors are facing non-playoff contenders on Sunday, giving them a chance to potentially overtake the Lakers.

Despite the frenzy over seeding, none of the 20 teams eligible for the postseason face the risk of elimination on Sunday. The play-in tournament is set to kick off on Tuesday, preceding the start of the playoffs on Saturday.

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