With the NBA regular season concluding next week (April 10th), I thought it would be good to take a quick look at where things sit in the Western Conference playoff picture. One week from now we'll know who's in, who's out, and who's playing who. Until then, it's going to be a wild week with teams jockeying for position.
Who's clinched
At this point, the following three teams have clinched a playoff spot in the Western Conference playoffs: Houston Rockets (63-15), Golden State Warriors (57-21), and Portland Trail Blazers (48-30). The Rockets are locked into the #1 seed and the Warriors are locked into the #2 seed, so they can pretty much chill the rest of this week. With all the injuries the Warriors have had, they in particular would be wise to pump the brakes and go easy during this last week.
As for the Trail Blazers, while they have already clinched, they still have a little bit of work to do in order to hang onto the #3 seed and home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Their schedule is as follows: @Houston, @San Antonio, @ Denver, and vs. Utah. It's actually a pretty tough schedule, so the Trail Blazers should be looking to go hard all the way until the last night.
Who's in if it started today
If the playoffs started today, the San Antonio Spurs (45-32), Utah Jazz (45-33), Oklahoma City Thunder (45-34), Minnesota Timberwolves (44-34), and New Orleans Pelicans (43-34) would all be in. The Spurs would have clinched on Tuesday had they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers and had the Denver Nuggets lost. Unfortunately for them, neither of those events happened. The Clippers outscored the Spurs 41-27 in the 4th quarter to win 113-110 and the Nuggets defeated the Indiana Pacers 107-104.
The Spurs still figure to make the playoffs, but they'll have to wait another day to officially punch their ticket. The Jazz are hoping to take advantage of the Spurs' loss and bump themselves up to the #4 seed, which would give them home court advantage in the first round. The Jazz have won three straight games including a 117-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers today. They have a moderately tough schedule coming up, so they could do it but it won't be a cakewalk: vs. Los Angeles Clippers, @Los Angeles Lakers, vs. Golden State, and @Portland.
As for the Thunder and Timberwolves, they have work to do as well, but they have the temporary luxury of being in front of the 8th seeded Pelicans, who are sinking like a stone as we speak. The Pelicans have lost four straight games and have five games remaining vs. Memphis, @Phoenix, @Golden State, @Los Angeles Clippers, and vs. San Antonio. Their last three games are no slam dunk, so they really need to take care of business against Memphis and Phoenix if they want to ensure that they still make the playoffs.
Who's on the outside trying to get in
If any of the four teams above miss the playoffs, it'll either be the Denver Nuggets (42-35) or Los Angeles Clippers (41-36) who take their spot. The Nuggets have won three straight games and are only one game back of the Pelicans, really turning the heat up as of late. The Nuggets' remaining schedule is as follows: vs. Minnesota, @Los Angeles Clippers, vs. Portland, and @Minnesota. That's a pretty tough schedule, but considering how the Pelicans are playing, they should like their chances of sneaking in.
As for the Clippers, their 113-110 win over the Spurs tonight saved their season. Their remaining schedule is as follows: @Utah, vs. Denver, vs. New Orleans, and vs. Los Angeles Lakers. It's not an easy schedule, but what helps is they have a chance to gain a full game on both the Nuggets and Pelicans if they win those games. Playing at Salt Lake City won't be easy, but if they can somehow pull off a miracle in that game, they'll be well positioned to make up some ground and take out both the Nuggets and Pelicans.
Prediction
My personal prediction is I think the Spurs, Jazz, Thunder, and Timberwolves will make the playoffs. They still have their work to do, but at the end of the day, I think they'll all make it. As for that 8th spot, I think that is too close to call right now. The Pelicans couldn't be hitting a four game losing skid at a worse time so I really am not feeling that they get in. If I had to make a final prediction, I think the Clippers will be the team that gets in. Their schedule is pretty friendly and tonight's win over the Spurs seems to be sign of things to come.
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