Remaining NBA Games That Will Swing the 2013 Playoff Picture

So many potential NBA playoff possibilities, so little time. Inside of 15 games to go in the regular season, the playoff picture in the Eastern and Western Conferences is still fuzzy.

From the top to the bottom, there are plenty of questions the first 80 percent of the season just wasn't able to answer.

Who will claim the top spot in the west? Which teams will round out the top four in the east? How will the bottom half of the Western Conference unfold? Will the Miami Heat ever lose again?

Alright, that last one's irrelevant to the postseason picture, but you get what I'm slinging by now.

At this point in the season, every game is absolutely huge. A battery of teams are still clinging to playoff hopes, while an onslaught of others continue to jostle for position.

Assuming you have other things to do than sift through a novella's worth of playoff speculation, it's worth understanding that even though every remaining contest is important, others are more crusade-defining than most.

Which bouts are those?

Luckily for you, I don't have anything better to do, so I've zeroed in on the games you doggone-crazy hoops heads must pencil in on your calendars.

*All stats used in this article were compiled from Basketball-Reference, Synergy Sports, 82games.com and NBA.com unless otherwise noted.

Friday, March 29: Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics

Season Series: 2-1 Celtics

For the Boston Celtics, this could be about catching up to the Atlanta Hawks and snagging the Eastern Conference's fifth or sixth seed.

Suddenly just two games ahead of the eighth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, however, it's all about putting as much distance between them and eighth place as possible.

With Kevin Garnett slated to miss the next couple weeks, the potential for the Celtics to fall head-first into a first-round battle with the Heat is very real. Beating Atlanta further removes them from the Bucks, while also keeping the Hawks looking over their shoulders.

Georgia's outfit will be looking to prevent the Celtics from making a run. It also would like to pass the Chicago Bulls in favor of a first-round date with the Brooklyn Nets instead of the New York Knicks or Indiana Pacers.

Four games ahead of the Bucks, the Hawks luckily don't appear to be a candidate to fall to eighth. 

Still, Atlanta's placement is far from etched in stone. It's not even etched in sand. Josh Smith and friends will want to win this one.

Predicted Winner: Celtics

Monday, April 1: Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz

Season Series: 1-1

Anyone currently counting the Blazers out of sneaking into the playoffs doesn't understand the road of opportunity that lies ahead.

Portland will play seven of its final 12 games against the Lakers, Jazz, Mavericks, Rockets and Warriors. There is plenty of time for the Blazers to make up ground.

There's also plenty of opportunities for them to shoot themselves where it hurts—in the standings.

This will be the second game they play against the Jazz in four nights. Emerging victorious in the previous matchup gives them the opportunity to inch ahead in the standings. Utah currently has a 1.5-game edge on them, but it's one that can be erased in this one, provided they don't fall on March 29.

The Jazz, however, will be looking to remain within striking distance of the Lakers. Losing at all to the Blazers hinders their pursuit of that eighth spot considerably.

Utah has been left flailing and often lethargic since the All-Star break, but a pair of (or even one) statement wins over Portland can only help the ultimate cause.

That the Jazz have the eighth-best home record in the NBA doesn't hurt their case here either.

Predicted Winner: Jazz

Tuesday, April 2: Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers

Season Series: 2-1 Lakers

With everyone fascinated by the prospect of a $100 million roster missing the playoffs, most of the games the Lakers play are big. This particular one against the Dallas Mavericks, though, is even more important.

As it stands, Los Angeles is clinging to the west's final playoff spot, but the Mavericks are one of three teams nipping at their heels.

The Lakers hold a mere 1.5-game lead over a 10th-seeded Dallas, and a win here gives them control of the tiebreak while also putting some distance between the two.

For the Mavs, this could be the game that defines their season.

If they're still just 1.5 back of the Lakers, a win would bring them within a half-game of postseason air. Should they lose, then their remaining deficit will border on insurmountable with only eight games to play.

Either Kobe Bryant or Dirk Nowitzki will be leaving the Staples Center crestfallen. Which one is it going to be?

Predicted Winner: Lakers

Thursday, April 4: Chicago Bulls at Brooklyn Nets

Season Series: 2-1 Bulls

Derrick Rose or not, the Bulls have an opportunity to finish in the top four of the Eastern Conference.

They currently trail the Nets by just 1.5 games and are a string of victories away from doing what they really weren't supposed to do.

The Nets—who are still two games behind the New York Knicks in the Atlantic Division—will want to put further distance between themselves and the Bulls. They'll also likely still have their eye on that division crown, so any win is a much-needed one.

If Rose is in uniform, it will change the dynamic of this game considerably. Chicago can't count on him, though, and doesn't really need him. The Bulls have already beaten the Nets twice this season and have been a better road team than a home one.

Personally, I see these two squaring off in the first round of the playoffs. This game will go a long way in determining who holds home-court advantage. 

Predicted Winner: Bulls

Thursday, April 4: San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder

Season Series: 2-1 Spurs

There's more to this one than you think.

With the Oklahoma City Thunder just 1.5 games behind the San Antonio Spurs, this is a game that will help determine who finishes atop the Western Conference.

Assuming the two parties remain steady in their records, a Thunder victory brings them within a half-game of the top spot. A Spurs victory gives them a lead that is unlikely to be squandered with just two weeks of the season remaining.

The game will also help decide who plays the eighth seed in the first round.

No big deal, right?

Wrong.

That eighth seed could (likely will) wind up being the Lakers. Los Angeles' struggles aside, that's not exactly a gift for the No. 1 seed.

I'd much rather face the a seventh-seeded Houston Rockets or Golden State Warriors.

Predicted Winner: Thunder

Sunday, April 7: Dallas Mavericks at Portland Trail Blazers

Season Series: 2-1 Mavericks

Man, the Western Conference is just nuts.

At present, just one game separates the 11th-seeded Blazers and 10th-place Mavericks. So yeah, this matchup will be worth watching.

Portland will be coming off two games against the Jazz and could find itself in a much different situation than it does now. Two wins over a struggling Utah team would likely put them ahead of the Jazz and closer to the Mavericks.

A win by Dallas would all but ensure the Mavs remain ahead of Portland, and would allow them to concentrate on catching the Lakers, Jazz or both.

Of course, the Blazers could drop two to the Jazz coming in, and all but fall out of the playoff picture. This would then represent a last-ditch effort to make some noise.

Either way, there's meaning to be found here.

Predicted Winner: Mavericks

Friday, April 12: Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers

Season Series: 2-1 Lakers

After pummeling the Lakers through three quarters, the Warriors put 4.5 games between themselves and Los Angeles, but that's not the point.

While a win here would give the Lakers the series victory and (barring a string of previous meltdowns) keep their hopes of moving up as far as sixth place alive, this is more about the conference-wide repercussions.

Golden State holds just a one-game lead over the Houston Rockets. The goal for Stephen Curry and crew moving forward is not to dip in the standings. Doing so will prove to be the difference between facing a beatable opponent like the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers or Memphis Grizzlies, or being thrown toward the Spurs or Thunder as basically warmup fodder.

Looking at the Lakers, winning yields pretty straightforward results. It puts more distance between themselves and missing the playoffs, and it keeps the Rockets on their toes.

Will Curry torch the Lakers again, or will Kobe Bryant holster his itchy trigger finger and distribute the Lakers to victory?

Predicted Winner: Lakers

Saturday, April 13: Los Angeles Clippers at Memphis Grizzlies

Season Series: 2-1 Clippers

If the Grizzlies' loss to the Washington Wizards was any indication, this one isn't going to mean much for Memphis.

Sans Marc Gasol until further notice, the Grizzlies should just be happy they have the fifth seed all sewn up.

For the Clippers, however, this game has serious implications.

Starting with the obvious, the Grizzlies are just a game back of the Clippers and have yet to fall out of contention for the third or fourth seed. Should Memphis find a way to make some noise without one of their most important players, a move here could give them an opportunity to continue their quest for a top-four slot.

In Los Angeles, this just isn't a game you want to lose, period. Chris Paul and his band of dunkers have a legitimate opportunity to snag third place and avoid a first-round matchup with either the Grizzlies or the Nuggets.

Speaking of the Nuggets, they and the Clippers are in a grind-it-out battle for third place. Any loss the Clippers incur—especially to the Grizzlies—only hurts their chances at winning the foot race.

Lob City needs to show up in full form for this one.

Predicted Winner: Clippers

Sunday, April 14th: Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks

Season Series: 2-1 Pacers

Let the battle for the Eastern Conference's second fiddle commence. 

Or should I say conclude?

Indiana and New York are engaged in a tightly contested war for second place. The Pacers blew out the Knicks last time around, but it's all (likely) going to come down to this game.

Paul George's combine currently holds a half-game lead over Melo and crew, only adding more fuel to this fire.

The importance of second place in the east is not to be understated. Depending on how the bottom half of the conference falls, there is a big difference.

Should the Bulls the or Celtics wind up in the seventh spot, that's hardly a favorable matchup, especially if you're the Knicks, who are notorious for struggling against both of those teams. The Hawks or even the Nets would be much more favorable opponents.

Tanking for third isn't an option either, however, because Boston or Chicago could end up in sixth. 

This game will have a lot riding on it. How the bottom-four spots take shape will say a lot about what the Knicks and Pacers are playing for here.

Predicted Winner: Knicks

Wednesday, April 17: Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers

Season Series: 2-1 Rockets

What a way to end the regular season.

This bout stands to have enormous postseason implications in a variety of ways.

Currently, the seventh-seeded Rockets hold a 3.5-game edge over the Lakers. A win in Los Angeles could help them creep past the Warriors and into sixth place, depending on how the rest of the schedule unfolds.

Mostly, though, this is about the Lakers.

Realistically, the Lakers aren't looking at this as the game that sees them move up. It remains possible, should they be able to make up a three-game difference heading in, but it is unlikely.

Instead, this could prove to be the difference between the Lakers clinching a playoff berth, and being done for the year. They hold a slim lead over three other teams now (Mavericks, Blazers and Jazz) and depending on the circumstances, this could be the game that decides everything.

Tread carefully, Hollywood.

Predicted Winner: Lakers

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