2015 NBA Playoffs: Predicting Final Bracket Entering Season's Final Week
The 2015 NBA regular season is entering its final stanza, as the 2015 NBA playoffs are set to begin April 19. But before we get to postseason basketball, let's take a look at the current playoff landscape and determine how the final bracket may look after this last week of games.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
No. 1 Seed: The Atlanta Hawks have secured the No. 1 seed behind a 60-win campaign. All that remains is getting Paul Millsap back to full health.
No. 2 Seed: LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be the two seed and may be the favorites to win the East.
No. 3 and 4 seeds: Both the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls won Saturday, so the Raptors continue to hold the tie-breaker and the inside track to the three seed. Toronto plays the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Hornets to close the season.
The Bulls have a tougher road, with matchups against the Brooklyn Nets and the Hawks. The Nets will be playing for their playoff lives, but Atlanta might just be at less than full strength in a meaningless game.
PREDICTION: Both teams win out and get to 50 wins, but Toronto gets the three seed.
No. 5 Seed: The Bulls are destined for another playoff showdown with the Washington Wizards, the team that eliminated them from the 2014 postseason. By resting John Wall, the Wizards seem content with their standing entering the final week.
No. 6 Seed: Milwaukee can clinch a playoff spot as early as Sunday against the Nets. The Bucks aren't catching the Wizards but should be a safe bet to remain the six seed.
No. 7 and 8 seed: As of now, the Celtics and the Nets hold the last two spots in the East. The C's do close the season against three playoff squads, while Brooklyn has games against the Bucks, Bulls and Orlando Magic.
The Indiana Pacers are only a game back of the eight seed and have received a huge lift by the comeback of Paul George. Unfortunately, Indiana has the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies left on the docket.
Prediction: Boston and Brooklyn cling to the final spots in the East, but the Nets move up to the seven seed due to a more manageable schedule.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
No. 1 Seed: Similar to the Hawks in the East, the Golden State Warriors have run away with the Western Conference with an NBA-best 65 wins.
No. 2-6 Seeds: Okay, this is where it gets interesting and a little confusing.
As of now the Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets make up the next five seeds after Golden State. Portland will stay put in the four spot, but the other teams can finish as high or two or as low as six.
The Spurs topped the Rockets Friday night, which gave them a 3-1 tiebreaker over Houston. Memphis owns the tiebreaker over the Spurs, so a direct tie in those two situations is pretty straightforward. If all three finish with the same record, the Spurs would hold the tiebreaker.
If the Clippers make it a four-way tie, the Spurs would also claim the two seed.
Memphis has Golden State and Indiana to close the season, while the Spurs will host the Phoenix Suns and travel to New Orleans to take on the playoff-hungry Pelicans. L.A. has the easiest road, with games against Denver and Phoenix, while Houston is the only team in the hunt that will have to play three games.
PREDICTION: This will likely be decided on the final night of the season, but Spurs, Clippers, Trail Blazers, Grizzlies, Rockets is the likely finish.
No. 7 Seed: Dallas is locked into the seventh seed and will wait for the ever-evolving playoff picture in the West to play out before knowing its first-round opponent.
No. 8 Seed: The Pelicans have passed the Thunder in the standings and hold the tiebreaker over OKC. New Orleans has the Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Spurs remaining on its schedule and will likely need to beat either Houston or San Antonio to lock down a playoff berth.
OKC has Indiana, Portland and Minnesota left, which is much more manageable. Portland could be officially locked into the four seed by then and may choose to rest players in a meaningless game.
PREDICTION: OKC passes New Orleans by winning out.
