29 of 1,230 games are still pending. Some positions are already set in stone, but there is still a fight for the last playoff spots, especially in the West. We look at possible scenarios and explain the equal record tiebreaker rules.
Finally, on Easter Sunday, the last day of play takes place – and at very friendly times for European fans. All 15 games are scheduled for either 7 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. These can be followed via League Pass or on DAZN. The streaming service accompanies the 15 games once more in a conference, so fans don’t miss a decision. But now to the possible scenarios.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
In the East, most decisions have already been made. Five out of six playoff participants have already secured their spot, with Cleveland vs. New York the first postseason matchup is already certain. Tenth place has already been taken. But there are still smaller things that are still uncertain. First of all, here is a look at the table.
Battle for 6th place:
Brooklyn finishes sixth if…
… it wins one of its two games once morest Orlando and Philadelphia.
… Miami loses one of its two games.
Miami finishes sixth if…
… the Nets lose to both Orlando and Philadelphia and the Heat beat both Washington and Orlando.
Battle for 8th place:
The Heat can no longer eighth as they hold the tiebreaker once morest Atlanta (3-1).
Atlanta will take eighth if…
…it wins one of its two remaining games.
… Toronto loses one of the remaining games.
Toronto will take eighth if…
…it wins its two remaining games and Atlanta loses both games.
Chicago is seeded for 10th place as Toronto bag the tiebreaker (2-1).
WESTERN CONFERENCE
It’s very different in the west, especially the last two playoff places are hard fought. Five teams still have chances, only two qualify directly for the postseason. And then there’s the race for tenth place between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks…
Battle for 2nd place:
There is minimal tension here as the Grizzlies are “only” two games ahead of Sacramento, which holds the tiebreaker once morest Memphis. So the calculation is simple: If the Kings win the last two games and Memphis loses in both Milwaukee and OKC, there is another change here.
Battle for direct playoff qualification
This is where it gets complicated. There are still countless scenarios, plus there is still a direct duel with Minnesota vs. New Orleans. In this case, let’s just list the most important tiebreaker scenarios:
And here is the rest of the program for these five listed teams:
NBA: The tiebreaker rules for two teams with the same record
- Head-to-Head
- Division winner always wins
- Record within a division (when both teams play in the same division)
- Record within the Conference
- Record once morest teams that have prevailed for the playoffs in their own conference
- Record once morest teams that made the playoffs in the other conference
- Point difference from all 82 games
The Clippers and Warriors have their destiny in their own hands. If they win both of their games, they’re in the playoffs. LA has the edge over the Warriors due to their better divisional record (8-7 vs. 6-9).
If they both lose a game and the Lakers and Pelicans win it all, it’s a rare four-way tie. The rules are very similar here, so the balance among each other is also important.
In such a four-way tie with the Pelicans, Lakers, Clippers and Warriors, it would look like this:
Of course, you can also play the same game with only three teams, here are the respective results if either LA or Golden State loses a game and the Lakers and Pelicans win everything:
It continues with possible tiebreakers between the Warriors, Clippers and the Lakers OR Pelicans. That’s possible if New Orleans (the Lakers) win both games, the Lakers (Pelicans), Clippers and Warriors one each.
And for those who like it wild: In theory, it’s also possible for all five teams to end up at 42-40. It would then look like this:
But it’s not the only way the Wolves can still reach the playoffs directly. The Wolves win pretty much every tiebreaker with possible three-way draws, although we’re not assuming that Golden State or the Clippers will give up their two games.
Seventh or eighth place is probably more realistic, but for that you have to win once morest New Orleans on Sunday. Failing that, it will take a blunder by the Lakers and Pels once morest New York for the Wolves to come out on top in a three-way tie. It might look like this:
The positive from the Wolves’ point of view: They can no longer slip down to tenth place because they have the tiebreaker once morest OKC in their pockets.
Battle for 10th place
Here it is once more quite simple. OKC has a half-game lead over Dallas and secures the tiebreaker (2-1). This means that Dallas can only reach the play-in with only two wins and one loss for the Thunder once morest the Grizzlies.
