NBA Playoff Picture 2015: Full Standings and Postseason Predictions
If you think the appetizer that is the 2014-15 NBA season has been entertaining, wait until the main course.
This season’s NBA playoffs will be appointment viewing from the opening tip of the first game all the way through the lifting of the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The Western Conference is loaded with elite teams that could all theoretically make a deep postseason run, and the Eastern Conference has the game’s biggest star set to take on a handful of dangerous challengers.
There is still plenty to be decided before the playoffs tip off April 18, including the final spots in both conferences and the actual seeding order in the middle of the packed Western standings. With that in mind, here is a look at the current playoff picture, as well as a few predictions for the postseason.
| Eastern Conference | ||
| 1 | Atlanta Hawks | - |
| 2 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 7.5 |
| 3 | Chicago Bulls | 10.5 |
| 4 | Toronto Raptors | 11.5 |
| 5 | Washington Wizards | 13.5 |
| 6 | Milwaukee Bucks | 18.5 |
| 7 | Brooklyn Nets | 21 |
| 8 | Miami Heat | 22 |
| Out of current playoff picture | Boston Celtics | 22.5 |
| Out of current playoff picture | Indiana Pacers | 23.5 |
| Out of current playoff picture | Charlotte Hornets | 24 |
| Western Conference | ||
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | - |
| 2 | Houston Rockets | 10.5 |
| 3 | Memphis Grizzlies | 10.5 |
| 4 | Portland Trail Blazers | 13 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Clippers | 12.5 (behind Portland because Trail Blazers are a division leader) |
| 6 | San Antonio Spurs | 12.5 |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks | 16.5 |
| 8 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 20.5 |
| Out of current playoff picture | New Orleans Pelicans | 21 |
| Out of current playoff picture | Phoenix Suns | 24.5 |
Oklahoma City Thunder Grab the Western Conference No. 8 Seed
This prediction isn’t focused on Russell Westbrook’s brilliance, although that will certainly help the Oklahoma City Thunder hold off the New Orleans Pelicans for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Rather, this is about the remaining schedule.
Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman pointed out that the Thunder’s path to the postseason isn’t quite as daunting as the Pelicans’:
While there is certainly some overlap in both slates, such as a showdown with the San Antonio Spurs and a trip to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the fact that the Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns are on New Orleans’ plate, compared to the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers for the Thunder, will prove to be the ultimate difference.
What’s more, Oklahoma City’s game against the Houston Rockets is at home, while the Pelicans have to hit the road against James Harden and company.
Westbrook will find a way to carry his team into the playoffs with his late MVP push, but the biggest reason the Thunder will outlast Anthony Davis and the Pelicans is the favorable schedule.
Indiana Pacers Grab the Eastern Conference No. 8 Seed
The Indiana Pacers are on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, which is probably not where last season’s No. 1 seed in the East envisioned themselves being in April. Still, they will find a way to get into the postseason with a strong finishing kick.
The fact that superstar Paul George announced his intentions to come back from a devastating leg injury is a good place to start. It is unfair to expect too much of him right out of the gates, but ESPN Stats & Info noted that George has steadily improved in the scoring department every year of his career thus far:
This prediction is more about Indiana’s competition than George’s return, though.
For one, the Miami Heat have been devastated by injuries this year. Chris Bosh is out for season, Josh McRoberts is out for season, Hassan Whiteside is dealing with a hand injury and now Dwyane Wade could be limited by his latest knee ailment. The Pacers have an opportunity to pick up a monumentally important head-to-head win over Miami on Sunday in Indiana.
After the home contest with the Heat, the Pacers have games against the lowly New York Knicks and the 29-47 Detroit Pistons, with a chance to make a serious move in the standings.
As for the Boston Celtics, they still have to play LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers twice and the Toronto Raptors twice and finish with a difficult trip to Milwaukee to face the likely playoff-bound Bucks. Indiana will outlast Boston by creating some separation in the upcoming three games and riding that to the finish line.
Chicago Bulls Hold Off Toronto Raptors for Eastern Conference No. 3 Seed
The race for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference is interesting because the loser will actually avoid the No. 2-seeded Cavaliers and James in the second round. The argument can certainly be made that the No. 4 seed is more advantageous for that reason alone.
Still, the Chicago Bulls are going to make a push for that No. 3 seed in an effort to avoid a potential first-round matchup with the same Washington Wizards team that eliminated them in last year’s playoffs.
Big man Pau Gasol didn’t sound like someone who would be resigned to the No. 4 seed in recent comments, per Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com:
"There's not a magic button here. What you see in the regular season is what you're going to get in the playoffs. So we have to try to be more consistent in the last six games that we have and that's going to determine what we'll see probably in the playoffs. Now every game, it's meaningful, and that we have to be aware of that because you can't expect things to click when it's crunch time, when everybody is on. So you just got to do whatever you have to on a daily basis to put yourself in the best place regularly so you get to the playoffs and maybe try to turn it up like everybody else.
"
The Bulls are gradually getting healthy with the postseason around the corner, as Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson both returned from recent injuries. While Derrick Rose’s knee is still the cloud hovering over the franchise until he proves he can go at full speed, all the other pieces are falling into place for a late-season run.
Chicago still has a difficult contest against Cleveland remaining, but games against the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets don’t exactly inspire much fear. Look for the Bulls to take advantage of those matchups and clinch the No. 3 seed late in the year.
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