NBA 2017-18: Playoff scenarios heading into the regular season finale
The 2017-18 NBA regular season has been entertaining, to say the least. When was the last time that none of the playoff matchups were set with just one regular season gameday remaining?
Heading into the final matchday, 15 of the 16 Playoff spots have been confirmed with only one remaining in the Western Conference. That spot will be decided by what is essentially a play-in game between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
A Playoff spot being decided on the final day of the regular season is something familiar but the concept of not even a single Playoff match-up being decided is alien. A lot is on the line on the final game day of the regular season.
Let's examine the best and worst case scenarios for every team whose Playoff seeding isn't decided:
Note: Only five teams' seedings have been decided so far - Houston Rockets (1st in West), Golden State Warriors (2nd in West), Toronto Raptors (1st in East), Boston Celtics (2nd in East), and the Indiana Pacers (5th in East).
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Like I mentioned earlier, in the West, five of the remaining six spots are decided but the seeds aren't. Although the PLAY-IN game between the Nuggets and the Timberwolves is for the last Playoff spot, it isn't necessarily only for the 8th seed. If things go their way, the winner of this game could be seeded at as high as the sixth spot.
So let's get down to all the possible scenario's:
Portland Trail Blazers
Best Case Scenario: 3rd Seed
Worst Case Scenario: 5th Seed
A dominant 13-game winning streak through February and March saw the Portland franchise separate themselves from the middle pack. After the Rockets and the Warriors, they were the first West team to secure a spot but since then they've struggled to secure home court.
They had four chances to do so and have failed at every attempt. Since clinching the Playoff spot, they've gone 0-4 and that's forced them to fight for the third seed on the final game day of the season against the surging Utah Jazz.
Utah Jazz
Best Case Scenario: 3rd Seed
Worst Case Scenario: 5th Seed
The Jazz have been one of the hottest teams in the second half of the season. Since Jan. 22, when they were 19-28, they've gone on to win 29 of their next 34 games. They've gone from outside looking in at the 10th spot to having a legitimate shot at the 3rd seed.
New Orleans Pelicans
Best Case Scenario: 5th Seed
Worst Case Scenario: 8th Seed
When DeMarcus Cousins went down with an injury, a majority of NBA fans had counted out the New Orleans Pelicans but they forgot nuclear Anthony Davis. The Unibrow went berserk, in the process, carrying his team to a 10-game win streak, which made the team relevant in the Playoff race.
They've been mediocre since the win streak (9-8) but they had done enough to clinch a spot.