Before the Lights Go Out: Playoff Implications

So heading into the final night of the NBA regular season there is only one playoff ticket up for grabs, with the Warriors and the Clippers both still alive to get into the Western Conference playoff bracket. There is a lot more drama left however, as playoff seeding is up for grabs all across the league. Here is a quick look at what is at stake tonight:

-The Last Western Spot: This one is pretty simple. If the Warriors win against Portland, they are in. If the Clippers lose to the Hornets then the Warriors are in. The only way for the Clippers to get in is to win and hope the Warriors lose. Fin.

-Who is 8th?: Seemingly overlooked is the fact that although the Warriors have not clinched the 8th spot in the West yet, they are also still alive for the 7th spot in the West. The Warriors enter the night with the same record as the Lakers. The Lakers possess the tiebreaker if both teams win tonight, but if the Warriors win and the Lakers lose to Sacramento, then the Warriors would move into the 7 spot to make the most exciting first round matchup in recent NBA playoff history. What would you put the over under on points for a game between the Warriors and Suns? 240? 250?

- The Battle for #2 in the East: Cleveland and Chicago enter the night with identical 49-32 records, with Chicago holding the tie-breaker. The truly interesting angle of this battle is that whichever team loses out on the 2 seed will drop all the way to the 5th seed, since Toronto and Miami hold the 3 and 4 spots as division winners. Cleveland faces the Bucks at home, while the Bulls travel to New Jersey to face the Nets. Whichever team comes out in the 5th spot will face a resurgent Miami team getting D-Wade back, while the fate of the 2 seed is a bit murkier because.....

- The 6 spot in the East is up for grabs: The Nets and Wizards come into the final night of the season with 40-41 records, with the Nets sitting in 6th with the tiebreaker. Washington goes to Indiana tonight with the Nets facing the Bulls at home. God knows the Bulls/Cavs would much rather face the depleted Wizards in the 7 spot and not the Nets. (The Magic also have an outside shot at the 7 spot with Nets and Wizards losses combined with a Magic win)

The end result of who gets the 2 seed in the East will have a great implication on the Eastern playoff bracket as a whole, as the 2 seed would likely face the Wizards and Raptors on their path to the conference finals, whereas the 5 seed would face the Heat and Pistons. Point being: the 2 seed will go to the conference finals, the 5 seed will be lucky to get out of the first round.