The NBA’s annual play-in tournament is less than a week away. We know, we’re shocked, too. However, despite the proximity to the end of the regular season, there are only two teams currently locked into their seeds in the Eastern and Western conferences.
Only the Golden State Warriors (locked into the Western Conference’s No. 10 seed) and Detroit Pistons (locked into the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed) know for sure where they’ll rank by season’s end.
Other than them, it’s an absolute mish-mosh of what-ifs and maybes that could shape the NBA’s postseason, with five teams in the Eastern Conference fighting it out to ensure they avoid the play-in.
Here are the current NBA standings and what the NBA postseason and play-in tournament would look like if the season ended today.
NBA Eastern Conference standings
*- clinched conference; d- clinched division; x-clinched playoff berth
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x – Boston Celtics: 54-25 (3 GB)
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x – New York Knicks: 51-28 (6 GB)
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x – Cleveland Cavaliers: 50-29 (7 GB)
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Atlanta Hawks: 45-34 (12 GB)
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Toronto Raptors: 44-35 (13 GB)
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Philadelphia 76ers: 43-36 (14 GB)
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Orlando Magic: 43-36 (14 GB)
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Charlotte Hornets: 43-37 (14.5 GB)
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Miami Heat: 41-38 (16 GB)
The Bucks, Bulls, Nets, Pacers and Wizards have been eliminated from postseason contention.
NBA Western Conference standings
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d – Oklahoma City Thunder: 63-16
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d – San Antonio Spurs: 60-19 (3 GB)
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x – Denver Nuggets: 51-28 (12 GB)
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d – Los Angeles Lakers: 50-29 (13 GB)
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x – Houston Rockets: 50-29 (13 GB)
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x – Minnesota Timberwolves: 47-32 (16 GB)
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Phoenix Suns: 43-36 (20 GB)
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Los Angeles Clippers: 41-38 (22 GB)
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Portland Trail Blazers: 40-29 (23 GB)
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Golden State Warriors: 37-42 (26 GB)
The Pelicans, Grizzlies, Mavericks, Kings and Jazz have been eliminated from postseason contention.
NBA playoffs bracket
(Through Tuesday, April 7)
Eastern Conference
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(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Play-In Winner
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(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
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(3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Toronto Raptors
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(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Play-In Winner
Western Conference
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(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Play-In Winner
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(4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Houston Rockets
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(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
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(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Play-In Winner
NBA Play-In Tournament
(Through Tuesday, April 7)
Eastern Conference
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(7) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (8) Orlando Magic
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(9) Charlotte Hornets vs. (10) Miami Heat
Western Conference
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(7) Phoenix Suns vs. (8) Los Angeles Clippers
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(9) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (10) Golden State Warriors
When do the NBA playoffs begin?
The NBA Play-In Tournament begins Tuesday, April 14 and finishes Friday, April 17.
The NBA playoffs begin the very next day, Saturday, April 18, featuring eight teams in each conference after two teams from both the East and West are eliminated in the Play-In Tournament.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be on Wednesday, June 3.
Which upcoming games could impact the postseason standings?
With just five days left in the regular season, every game matters, but there are a few games that could have serious impact on the end-of-season standings.
Wednesday, April 8
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Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers
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Oklahoma City Thunder at LA Clippers
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Thunder can clinch top seed with win or Spurs loss
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Thursday, April 9
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Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors
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Boston Celtics at New York Knicks
Friday, April 10
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Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks
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Toronto Raptors at New York Knicks
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Los Angeles Clippers at Portland Trail Blazers
Sunday, April 12
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Atlanta Hawks at Miami Heat
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Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers
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Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA playoff bracket, latest standings, scenarios
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