CASH
Pretty much a regular
A look at the playoff picture entering play Tuesday, April 7. There are 11 days until the playoffs begin.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Locks: Atlanta Hawks (No. 1 seed, Eastern Conference, home-court throughout conference playoffs)
Cleveland Cavaliers (playoff berth, home court in the first round)
Chicago Bulls (playoff berth)
Toronto Raptors (Atlantic Division championship, top four seed, tiebreaker advantage over non-division winners)
Washington Wizards (playoff berth, no-worse-than-fifth)
Current matchups
(1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (8) Boston Celtics
(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (7) Brooklyn Nets
(3) Chicago Bulls vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks
(4) Toronto Raptors vs. (5) Washington Wizards
No. 1 seed: As long as the Hawks are in the conference playoffs, they'll have home-court advantage. Incredible season for them.
No. 2: The Cavs' win over the Bulls Sunday was huge. Not only did it take two numbers off their magic number count, but it landed an extra one by supplying them with tiebreaker over Chicago. Cleveland's magic number for the 2-seed is just one. They'll have home court in the second-round, should they make it.
Relevant games Tuesday: None.
Nos. 3-5: Chicago had its moment to make one more run at the 2-seed, and couldn't get it done Sunday. With Cleveland almost assuredly locking up the 2-seed, Chicago can turn its attention to the 3-seed. They're up 1.5 games over Toronto and 2.5 over Washington. Their magic number for the three-seed is five. A first-round matchup with Milwaukee is complicated. They won the season series 3-1 and Pau Gasol ate them up, but a pesky team that can play a slow, defensive game might give them some issues.
Derrick Rose practiced and is expected back "soon," according to coach Tom Thibodeau in his comments to reporters this week.
Toronto's fading in the race for the 3-seed. They've locked the division, thus have the tiebreaker over non-division-winning teams. But losses to the Nets (Friday) and Celtics (Saturday) put them a full 1.5 games back of Chicago, only one game up on Washington. Their magic number for no-worse than fourth is four. Their schedule to finish the season was so easy, I was sure they would land the three-seed. Instead, this is their response.
Washington has clinched a playoff spot. Their odds of home court improved dramatically with the Raptors' ramming their heads into the kitchen sink over the weekend.
The Wizards have clinched no worse than fifth. The top five teams in the East are locked, though seeding may vary.
Relevant games Tuesday: None
Nos. 6-8: Milwaukee looks locked into the sixth spot. The Bucks have a two-game lead over the Nets for sixth, and can't catch the Wizards. Their loss Saturday was a blown opportunity, and coupled with Boston's win, their magic number remains two for a playoff spot. They'll make it, but the loss to Orlando was ill-timed.
The Nets benefitted big time from the Heat loss Sunday, then they went out and got a big win Monday vs. the Blazers. Their magic number is down to four for a playoff spot and they now have a two games lead for the playoffs. The Nets hold tiebreaker over Indiana, but not Miami.
Boston went back to back and got a monster win vs. Toronto on Saturday, reclaiming the 8th seed. They still need help, but the Toronto win helps a lot. Boston doesn't play until Wednesday vs. the somehow-still-mathematically alive Pistons, then have a home and home with Cleveland. They need the Cavs to lock the two seed (their magic number is one) before then.
Two weeks ago I thought Miami's brutal schedule to finish March would sink it. Instead, the Heat thrived then, and instead waited until they played bad teams to fall apart. Their loss to Detroit on Saturday was disastrous, knocking them from the No. 8 seed. Then on Sunday, they lost to the Pacers to knock them back to 10th in the East. Luol Deng and Michael Beasley suffered injuries that may keep them out the rest of the regular season. Basically, all of the doom that could befall them has.
Indiana got the boost it needed with the return of Paul George Sunday. Indiana's a game back of the 8th seed. It has games against New York and Detroit before the schedule gets more difficult.
Boston went back to back and got a monster win vs. Toronto on Saturday, reclaiming the 8th seed. They still need help, but the Toronto win helps a lot. Boston doesn't play until Wednesday vs. the somehow-still-mathematically alive Pistons, then have a home and home with Cleveland. They need the Cavs to lock the two seed (their magic number is four and they play the Bulls Sunday) before then.
Charlotte's now 1.5 games back of the 8th seed. One would think the Hornets would eventually die from how many crushing losses. But this is the East. Want an example?
You're not going to believe this, but the Pistons are still alive for a playoff spot, despite being 17 games under .500. The East!
Relevant games Tuesday: Hornets at Heat
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Locks: Warriors (playoff berth, division title, No. 1 overall seed, Western Conference)
Grizzlies (playoff berth)
Rockets (playoff berth)
Clippers (playoff berth)
Blazers (playoff berth)
Spurs (playoff berth)
Current matchups
(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (8) Oklahoma City Thunder
(2) Houston Rockets vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks
(3) Memphis Grizzlies vs. (6) San Antonio Spurs
(4) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers
No. 1 seed: The Warriors have clinched homecourt throughout the playoffs including the Finals should they represent the West. They elected not to rest starters on a back to back in San Antonio after clinching, and the Spurs leveled them. Will they pull starters back for rest now?
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<figcaption style="display: table-caption; caption-side: bottom; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.4em;">The Spurs backed down the Warriors on Sunday. (Getty)</figcaption></figure>Nos. 2-6: Houston grabbed control of the 2-seed by a full game Sunday with their win over OKC. Their magic number for the 2-seed is five. Their next two games are vs. the Spurs and are the biggest games of their season. Two wins might be the difference in their winning the division and homecourt in the first two rounds.
Memphis' loss to Washington on Saturday was bad, but not terrible. They're now a full game behind Houston for the two-seed in the West. The Clippers, after their win Saturday vs. the Nuggets and Sunday vs. the Lakers are still just 1.5 games back of the 2-seed and a half-game from the 3-seed. The reason the Grizzlies' loss wasn't as bad is because it was vs. the East. The Grizzlies can't afford losses to West teams because they'll need them for tiebreaker vs. the Rockets, Spurs and Clippers. The loss to Washington hurts, but it doesn't cripple them. But realistically, if they want to win the Southwest Division and get the two-seed, they can only afford one more loss at most.
The Clippers trail Memphis by a half-game, and Houston by 1.5 games. They play the Lakers again, then the Grizzlies, Nuggets and Suns. They have a very good chance at running the table.
San Antonio's back one game from Memphis, and two games from Houston. They also have a good shot at running the table, and can do major damage to Houston's chances for the division with their home-and-home this week.
Portland's hit a rough patch. They had won two in a row after their victory over the Pelicans on Saturday, but then dropped the Brooklyn game Monday. They clinched their division Friday and are guaranteed no worse than fourth, but not home court. They're now two back in the loss column from moving up, with both San Antonio and the Clippers also ahead of then in record. Homecourt is not looking good.
Memphis, Houston and the Clippers have clinched no worse than sixth over the Mavericks.
A Clippers win and a Spurs loss would put them 1.5 games up on San Antonio with four to play, and would bring LA into a tie with Memphis for the 3-seed. The Grizzlies currently own tiebreaker but Memphis and LA play later this week.
Relevant games Tuesday: Lakers at Clippers, Spurs at Thunder
No. 7: Dallas is nearly locked. The Mavericks have a four-game lead over the Thunder and are five games back of San Antonio. With five games left and the Spurs playing as they are, that ship has probably sailed.
The Mavericks' magic number for no worse than seventh (which means avoiding the Warriors) is one. Their magic number for a playoff spot is one over the Pelicans. They can clinch Tuesday with a Pelicans loss.
Relevant games Tuesday: Spurs at Thunder, Warriors at Pelicans
No. 8: We're removing the Suns. They're three games back, there's just not enough time to catch up -- barring a miracle.
New Orleans got the break it needed with OKC tumbling through its tough stretch of schedule while the Pelicans managed to not lose this week vs. bad teams. They took a fall themselves with their loss to Portland on Saturday, but the Thunder loss Sunday helps them out. They're a half-game back for the 8th seed and have tiebreaker.
OKC remaining: Spurs, Kings, Pacers, Blazers, Wolves
New Orleans remaining: Warriors, Grizzlies, Suns, Rockets, Wolves, Spurs
In their final four games, the Thunder face three teams they should beat and the Blazers, who will likely be locked into the fourth seed and resting players. The Pelicans, on the other hand, get the Warriors who enjoy crushing teams' souls (ask the Suns), the Grizzlies who are still wrestling for the 2-seed, the Suns playing spoiler, the Rockets battling for the 2-seed, the Wolves, and San Antonio.
The Pelicans likely have to find five wins out of those six games. That seems pretty tough, but then, we've counted them out before and here they are.
If the Pelicans win Tuesday vs. the Warriors (and who knows if Golden State plays starters) and the Thunder lose to OKC, the Pelicans move back into control for the 8th seed.
Relevant games Tuesday: Warriors at Pelicans, Spurs at Thunder
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Locks: Atlanta Hawks (No. 1 seed, Eastern Conference, home-court throughout conference playoffs)
Cleveland Cavaliers (playoff berth, home court in the first round)
Chicago Bulls (playoff berth)
Toronto Raptors (Atlantic Division championship, top four seed, tiebreaker advantage over non-division winners)
Washington Wizards (playoff berth, no-worse-than-fifth)
Current matchups
(1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (8) Boston Celtics
(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (7) Brooklyn Nets
(3) Chicago Bulls vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks
(4) Toronto Raptors vs. (5) Washington Wizards
No. 1 seed: As long as the Hawks are in the conference playoffs, they'll have home-court advantage. Incredible season for them.
No. 2: The Cavs' win over the Bulls Sunday was huge. Not only did it take two numbers off their magic number count, but it landed an extra one by supplying them with tiebreaker over Chicago. Cleveland's magic number for the 2-seed is just one. They'll have home court in the second-round, should they make it.
Relevant games Tuesday: None.
Nos. 3-5: Chicago had its moment to make one more run at the 2-seed, and couldn't get it done Sunday. With Cleveland almost assuredly locking up the 2-seed, Chicago can turn its attention to the 3-seed. They're up 1.5 games over Toronto and 2.5 over Washington. Their magic number for the three-seed is five. A first-round matchup with Milwaukee is complicated. They won the season series 3-1 and Pau Gasol ate them up, but a pesky team that can play a slow, defensive game might give them some issues.
Derrick Rose practiced and is expected back "soon," according to coach Tom Thibodeau in his comments to reporters this week.
Toronto's fading in the race for the 3-seed. They've locked the division, thus have the tiebreaker over non-division-winning teams. But losses to the Nets (Friday) and Celtics (Saturday) put them a full 1.5 games back of Chicago, only one game up on Washington. Their magic number for no-worse than fourth is four. Their schedule to finish the season was so easy, I was sure they would land the three-seed. Instead, this is their response.
Washington has clinched a playoff spot. Their odds of home court improved dramatically with the Raptors' ramming their heads into the kitchen sink over the weekend.
The Wizards have clinched no worse than fifth. The top five teams in the East are locked, though seeding may vary.
Relevant games Tuesday: None
Nos. 6-8: Milwaukee looks locked into the sixth spot. The Bucks have a two-game lead over the Nets for sixth, and can't catch the Wizards. Their loss Saturday was a blown opportunity, and coupled with Boston's win, their magic number remains two for a playoff spot. They'll make it, but the loss to Orlando was ill-timed.
The Nets benefitted big time from the Heat loss Sunday, then they went out and got a big win Monday vs. the Blazers. Their magic number is down to four for a playoff spot and they now have a two games lead for the playoffs. The Nets hold tiebreaker over Indiana, but not Miami.
Boston went back to back and got a monster win vs. Toronto on Saturday, reclaiming the 8th seed. They still need help, but the Toronto win helps a lot. Boston doesn't play until Wednesday vs. the somehow-still-mathematically alive Pistons, then have a home and home with Cleveland. They need the Cavs to lock the two seed (their magic number is one) before then.
Two weeks ago I thought Miami's brutal schedule to finish March would sink it. Instead, the Heat thrived then, and instead waited until they played bad teams to fall apart. Their loss to Detroit on Saturday was disastrous, knocking them from the No. 8 seed. Then on Sunday, they lost to the Pacers to knock them back to 10th in the East. Luol Deng and Michael Beasley suffered injuries that may keep them out the rest of the regular season. Basically, all of the doom that could befall them has.
Indiana got the boost it needed with the return of Paul George Sunday. Indiana's a game back of the 8th seed. It has games against New York and Detroit before the schedule gets more difficult.
Boston went back to back and got a monster win vs. Toronto on Saturday, reclaiming the 8th seed. They still need help, but the Toronto win helps a lot. Boston doesn't play until Wednesday vs. the somehow-still-mathematically alive Pistons, then have a home and home with Cleveland. They need the Cavs to lock the two seed (their magic number is four and they play the Bulls Sunday) before then.
Charlotte's now 1.5 games back of the 8th seed. One would think the Hornets would eventually die from how many crushing losses. But this is the East. Want an example?
You're not going to believe this, but the Pistons are still alive for a playoff spot, despite being 17 games under .500. The East!
Relevant games Tuesday: Hornets at Heat
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Locks: Warriors (playoff berth, division title, No. 1 overall seed, Western Conference)
Grizzlies (playoff berth)
Rockets (playoff berth)
Clippers (playoff berth)
Blazers (playoff berth)
Spurs (playoff berth)
Current matchups
(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (8) Oklahoma City Thunder
(2) Houston Rockets vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks
(3) Memphis Grizzlies vs. (6) San Antonio Spurs
(4) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers
No. 1 seed: The Warriors have clinched homecourt throughout the playoffs including the Finals should they represent the West. They elected not to rest starters on a back to back in San Antonio after clinching, and the Spurs leveled them. Will they pull starters back for rest now?
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Memphis' loss to Washington on Saturday was bad, but not terrible. They're now a full game behind Houston for the two-seed in the West. The Clippers, after their win Saturday vs. the Nuggets and Sunday vs. the Lakers are still just 1.5 games back of the 2-seed and a half-game from the 3-seed. The reason the Grizzlies' loss wasn't as bad is because it was vs. the East. The Grizzlies can't afford losses to West teams because they'll need them for tiebreaker vs. the Rockets, Spurs and Clippers. The loss to Washington hurts, but it doesn't cripple them. But realistically, if they want to win the Southwest Division and get the two-seed, they can only afford one more loss at most.
The Clippers trail Memphis by a half-game, and Houston by 1.5 games. They play the Lakers again, then the Grizzlies, Nuggets and Suns. They have a very good chance at running the table.
San Antonio's back one game from Memphis, and two games from Houston. They also have a good shot at running the table, and can do major damage to Houston's chances for the division with their home-and-home this week.
Portland's hit a rough patch. They had won two in a row after their victory over the Pelicans on Saturday, but then dropped the Brooklyn game Monday. They clinched their division Friday and are guaranteed no worse than fourth, but not home court. They're now two back in the loss column from moving up, with both San Antonio and the Clippers also ahead of then in record. Homecourt is not looking good.
Memphis, Houston and the Clippers have clinched no worse than sixth over the Mavericks.
A Clippers win and a Spurs loss would put them 1.5 games up on San Antonio with four to play, and would bring LA into a tie with Memphis for the 3-seed. The Grizzlies currently own tiebreaker but Memphis and LA play later this week.
Relevant games Tuesday: Lakers at Clippers, Spurs at Thunder
No. 7: Dallas is nearly locked. The Mavericks have a four-game lead over the Thunder and are five games back of San Antonio. With five games left and the Spurs playing as they are, that ship has probably sailed.
The Mavericks' magic number for no worse than seventh (which means avoiding the Warriors) is one. Their magic number for a playoff spot is one over the Pelicans. They can clinch Tuesday with a Pelicans loss.
Relevant games Tuesday: Spurs at Thunder, Warriors at Pelicans
No. 8: We're removing the Suns. They're three games back, there's just not enough time to catch up -- barring a miracle.
New Orleans got the break it needed with OKC tumbling through its tough stretch of schedule while the Pelicans managed to not lose this week vs. bad teams. They took a fall themselves with their loss to Portland on Saturday, but the Thunder loss Sunday helps them out. They're a half-game back for the 8th seed and have tiebreaker.
OKC remaining: Spurs, Kings, Pacers, Blazers, Wolves
New Orleans remaining: Warriors, Grizzlies, Suns, Rockets, Wolves, Spurs
In their final four games, the Thunder face three teams they should beat and the Blazers, who will likely be locked into the fourth seed and resting players. The Pelicans, on the other hand, get the Warriors who enjoy crushing teams' souls (ask the Suns), the Grizzlies who are still wrestling for the 2-seed, the Suns playing spoiler, the Rockets battling for the 2-seed, the Wolves, and San Antonio.
The Pelicans likely have to find five wins out of those six games. That seems pretty tough, but then, we've counted them out before and here they are.
If the Pelicans win Tuesday vs. the Warriors (and who knows if Golden State plays starters) and the Thunder lose to OKC, the Pelicans move back into control for the 8th seed.
Relevant games Tuesday: Warriors at Pelicans, Spurs at Thunder
