NBA Playoff Picture: Latest Standings and Updated Look at Postseason Bracket

The NBA playoffs are almost set, but there are still plenty of things that can change before the start of the postseason.

Even with just a few games remaining in the regular season, one playoff spot is up for grabs while a number of seeds can change as well. Considering how much better most teams are at home, every spot could make a huge difference going forward.

Here is a look at the latest standings as of April 14 with three days remaining in the season, along with potential matchups going forward.

	Eastern Conference
	Western Conference
Pos.	Team	W	L	Pct	GB
1	Indiana Pacers	55	26	.679	-
2	Miami Heat	54	26	.675	½
3	Toronto Raptors	47	33	.588	7 ½
4	Chicago Bulls	47	33	.588	7 ½
5	Brooklyn Nets	44	36	.550	10 ½
6	Washington Wizards	42	38	.525	12 ½
7	Charlotte Bobcats	41	39	.513	13 ½
8	Atlanta Hawks	37	43	.463	17 ½
-	New York Knicks	35	45	.438	19 ½
-	Cleveland Cavaliers	32	49	.395	23
-	Detroit Pistons	29	52	.358	26
-	Boston Celtics	25	55	.313	29 ½
-	Orlando Magic	23	57	.288	31 ½
-	Philadelphia 76ers	17	63	.213	37 ½
-	Milwaukee Bucks	15	65	.188	39 ½
Pos.	Team	W	L	Pct	GB
1	San Antonio Spurs	62	18	.775	-
2	Oklahoma City Thunder	58	22	.725	4
3	Los Angeles Clippers	56	24	.700	6
4	Houston Rockets	53	27	.663	9
5	Portland Trail Blazers	53	28	.654	9 ½
6	Golden State Warriors	49	31	.613	13
7	Dallas Mavericks	49	32	.605	13 ½
8	Memphis Grizzlies	48	32	.600	14
-	Phoenix Suns	47	33	.588	15
-	Minnesota Timberwolves	40	40	.500	22
-	Denver Nuggets	36	44	.450	26
-	New Orleans Pelicans	32	48	.400	30
-	Sacramento Kings	28	53	.346	34 ½
-	Los Angeles Lakers	25	55	.313	37
-	Utah Jazz	24	56	.300	38

Eastern Conference

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

No. 1 Indiana Pacers	No. 8 Atlanta Hawks
No. 2 Miami Heat	No. 7 Charlotte Bobcats
No. 3 Toronto Raptors	No. 6 Washington Wizards
No. 4 Chicago Bulls	No. 5 Brooklyn Nets

While we know which teams will reach the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, there can be a lot of change at the top in the coming days.

It appeared as though the Miami Heat were going to clinch the top spot in the East after defeating the Indiana Pacers on Friday. They moved one-half game ahead of their top challenger and evened up the season series with a 98-86 win.

After the heavyweight bout, Pacers forward David West admitted, "We haven’t played well enough to be the top seed. We get what we deserve, I guess," via Bleacher Report's Howard Beck.

However, this lead did not last for long as the Heat dropped their next game against the Atlanta Hawks while the Pacers redeemed themselves with a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Indiana moved back in front and is just one win over the Orlando Magic away from clinching the top seed. As ESPN's Michael Wilbon points out, neither team is playing exceptionally well:

Two teams that were dominant to start the season are now perfectly beatable at the most important part of the year.

This fact makes the rest of the seeding much more interesting. Arguably the most intriguing matchup as currently laid out is the one between the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls. Both are immensely talented and have veteran players who know what it takes to make a run in the playoffs.

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News thinks either team can surprise in the postseason:

Then again, this matchup has not yet been decided. The Toronto Raptors hold onto the No. 3 seed due to tiebreakers, but one loss could drop them below the Bulls.

Considering how well the Nets have played over the course of the last month and a half, you can imagine both teams will fight hard to earn the right to play the Washington Wizards instead.

Western Conference

Richard Rowe/Getty Images

No. 1 San Antonio Spurs	No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies
No. 2 Oklahoma City Thunder	No. 7 Dallas Mavericks
No. 3 Los Angeles Clippers	No. 6 Golden State Warriors
No. 4 Houston Rockets	No. 5 Portland Trail Blazers

Unlike the Eastern Conference, the top seed has already been deciding thanks to a dominant second half of the year by the San Antonio Spurs, as outlined by Marc Stein of ESPN:

However, that means nothing heading into the playoffs, where almost every team still alive has a chance to make a run to the NBA championship.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will likely get the No. 2 seed with the Los Angeles Clippers taking the three spot, but their opponents are still up for grabs.

Both the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks have clinched playoff spots, but they can end anywhere from No. 6 to No. 8.

Golden State might be the most intimidating team for any of the top seeds after upsetting the Denver Nuggets a year ago and showcasing an improved defense from last year. Plus, Stephen Curry has appeared unstoppable at times:

At the bottom of the list is the battle between the Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns to earn the final available spot in the postseason. Interestingly, the two will compete against each other on Monday night.

According to Jeff Bartl of Grizzlies.com, guard Eric Bledsoe explained his mindset going into the game: "We've got to stay positive. You could tell it was a playoff atmosphere (Saturday). I thought everybody laid it out on the court."

A Grizzlies win would clinch the final playoff spot while also giving them a chance to move away from the Spurs in the first round.

Finally, fans should not count out either the Portland Trail Blazers or Houston Rockets after one of the two gets past the other. This makes just one of the many great matchups to look forward to in this year's postseason.