NBA Playoff Schedule 2012: First-Round Matchups We Would Love to See

The end of the NBA regular season is about a week away, leaving each playoff contender with only three or four more games to position themselves.

With so little time left, there’s still a lot left to be decided.

In the Western Conference, the overall top seed is still up for grabs between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacific Division is still up in the air between the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, with the Lakers holding a slim half-game lead.

The race for the No. 8 seed is hot as well as the Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz all are within a half game of each other.

In the Eastern Conference, things are a little simpler as all that remains to be decided is how the bottom four teams will be seeded. The only intrigue comes with the Milwaukee Bucks, who sit only 1.5 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 8 seed.

So with a lot still left to be decided, here’s a look at some interesting possible matchups everyone would like to see.

Western Conference

No. 1 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 8 Houston Rockets

The Spurs fell victim to a No. 8 seed last year in the Memphis Grizzlies, but the Rockets would present an interesting matchup for San Antonio. The two teams split their four meetings on the season and the possible point guard matchup between Tony Parker and Kyle Lowry could turn into something fun to watch.

No. 2 Oklahoma City vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks

The Thunder nearly made it to the NBA Finals a season ago, falling to Dallas in the Western Conference Finals. With many people predicting Oklahoma City to win the championship this season, going through the defending champs right away would get them on the right path.

Plus the superstar matchup of Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitzki would be something to watch. Who could forget Durant’s buzzer beater to sink the Mavs on December 29? This series could have some big moments like that.

No. 3 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 6 Denver Nuggets

The Clippers have never won a division title and here’s hoping that they do, as well as Denver holding onto the No. 6 seed.

A matchup of Lob City against the highest scoring team in the NBA (103.6 PPG) could be some fun basketball to watch. There is bound to be plenty of highlight plays if these two teams get the chance to meet up.

No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 5 Memphis Grizzlies

Can the Grizzlies do it again?

This would be a matchup of two of the more talented teams in the west and would certainly be one to follow. The Lakers are trying to make one more run during the Kobe Bryant era, while the Grizzlies are looking to take the next step in becoming an elite team in the Western Conference.

Eastern Conference

No. 2 Miami Heat vs. No. 7 New York Knicks

The Eastern Conference really has only one possible first-round matchup worth the intrigue and that’s the Heat vs. Knicks.

All season long it’s been asked if this is the year that LeBron James finally gets a ring. What will happen to the Big Three if Miami fails?

New York, on the other hand, has made the necessary moves to compete with Miami and Chicago in the east. The Knicks can compete with the Heat and if the Knicks are to become championship contenders, they will eventually have to go through Miami.

There’s no time like the present as Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James going head to head could make this the most must-see series of them all.