NBA Playoff Picture 2015: Standings, Top Storylines Entering Season's Final Week
A clear NBA playoff picture usually exists with three days remaining in the regular season. Not this year.
As the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks sit on their iron thrones, they'll watch the rest of the non-tanking teams in the league squabble for seeding or a ticket to the postseason. Although the Eastern Conference can't match the Western Conference's final frenzy for positioning, two spots remain available.
Here is what the standings look like heading into the last week:
| 1 | Atlanta Hawks | 60 | 20 |
| 2 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 51 | 29 |
| 3 | Toronto Raptors | 48 | 32 |
| 4 | Chicago Bulls | 48 | 32 |
| 5 | Washington Wizards | 46 | 34 |
| 6 | Milwaukee Bucks | 40 | 40 |
| 7 | Boston Celtics | 38 | 42 |
| 8 | Brooklyn Nets | 37 | 43 |
| In the Hunt | Team | W | L |
| 9 | Indiana Pacers | 37 | 43 |
| 10 | Miami Heat | 35 | 45 |
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 65 | 15 |
| 2 | San Antonio Spurs | 55 | 26 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Clippers | 54 | 26 |
| 4 | Portland Trail Blazers | 51 | 29 |
| 5 | Memphis Grizzlies | 54 | 26 |
| 6 | Houston Rockets | 54 | 26 |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks | 49 | 31 |
| 8 | New Orleans Pelicans | 43 | 37 |
| In the Hunt | Team | W | L |
| 9 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 43 | 37 |
Seeding Battle Out West
Entering the season's final days, four Western Conference playoff squads are separated by less than a game. A No. 2 seed is at stake, with one of them forced to open the postseason on the road.
As a result of clinching the Northwest Division, the Portland Trail Blazers will earn at least the No. 4 seed even if they possess the West's seventh-best record. That could entice a team to purposely slip from No. 3 to No. 5, where it'd still gain home-court advantage on the strength of a superior record.
Locating to the No. 4-5 matchup, however, also expedites a potential meeting with the top-seeded Warriors. As everyone else jousts for placement, the Warriors can kick back with a comfortable 11-game lead fueled by an NBA-high 10.2-point scoring margin.
Their biggest obstacle to the NBA Finals is none other than the San Antonio Spurs, who'll enter the proceedings in peak form with an 11-game winning streak. With their minutes closely monitored by Gregg Popovich throughout the season, their veteran nucleus has found a second gear.
Kawhi Leonard has especially dialed his game up a notch. Over that 11-game stretch, Leonard is averaging 19.2 points per game with a 56.1 field-goal percentage. Bleacher Report's Ethan J. Skolnick noted San Antonio's success with the small forward in the lineup:
The Dallas Mavericks, who gave the Spurs their toughest test during a seven-game series last year, are hoping they don't have to deal with them in their second consecutive first-round meeting. Then again, the Los Angeles Clippers are equally dangerous with six straight wins and a plus-6.5 point differential, second only to Golden State.
And nobody will celebrate at the sight of the Memphis Grizzlies or Houston Rockets. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol will produce matchup nightmares for a small-ball adversary, and Houston boasts MVP candidate James Harden and a returning Dwight Howard.
With Russell Westbrook's Oklahoma City Thunder and Anthony Davis' New Orleans Pelicans shoving for the No. 8 seed, every matchup will prove essential viewing regardless of the seeding outcomes.
Can Any No. 8 Seed Challenge Atlanta?
Four teams—Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat—are fighting for two spots in the Eastern Conference, but it's hard to get excited about a bunch of losing squads competing for a seemingly meaningless designation.
After all, everyone tends to forget that the Atlanta Hawks are really good.
Sporting a nine-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta has claimed 60 victories with a 35-5 home record. The Hawks don't rely on a single superstar, but head coach Mike Budenholzer has adopted San Antonio's unselfish philosophy to resounding results.
They ranked No. 6 in both offensive and defensive rating before Sunday night, when they rested their starters against the Washington Wizards. Atlanta's balanced offense trails only Golden State with a 56.5 true shooting percentage.
Yet Paul Millsap's health will likely cause teams to prefer the No. 8 slot over facing Cleveland. The power forward has missed the past four games with a sprained right shoulder, but Budenholzer expressed confidence in getting his top scorer and rebounder back for the playoffs.
"I think we feel good about the progress he's making and the timeline," Budenholzer said, via ESPN.com.
The Boston Celtics don't have the top scoring option or defense to pull off a radical upset. During four season meetings against Atlanta, the Nets have allowed 114 points per game through four losses.
The injury-depleted Miami Heat have gone cold, dropping nine of their last 12. That leaves the Indiana Pacers, who have won four straight games since Paul George's return, as the most dangerous late seed.
However, they beat up Eastern Conference cellar-dwellers before besting the fading Thunder on Sunday night. Their hard-nosed defense would make Atlanta work, but they'd at most steal a couple of wins.
Advanced stats courtesy of NBA.com.
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