NBA Playoff Bracket 2015: Updated Standings, Postseason Picture and More
The final 14 games of the 2014-15 NBA regular season are upon us, all crammed into a Wednesday night that is sure to be replete with roundball action.
Playoff implications abound in these final matchups. Only one of the eight first-round playoffs series is set in stone; the Cleveland Cavaliers will indeed take on the Boston Celtics.
There is next to nothing settled at this late stage, and only the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers have run through the full 82-game gauntlet.
The myriad playoff permutations available Wednesday will have fans squirming and feverishly checking updates right up until the final buzzer sounds—and the nerves and excitement will all come flooding back again soon enough when the postseason commences.
Here's a look at the standings heading into Wednesday's slate.
| Seed | Team | W | L | GB |
| 1 | Golden State Warriors* | 66 | 15 | - |
| 2 | Los Angeles Clippers | 56 | 26 | 10.5 |
| 3 | San Antonio Spurs | 55 | 26 | 11 |
| 4 | Portland Trail Blazers* | 51 | 30 | 15 |
| 5 | Houston Rockets* | 55 | 26 | 11 |
| 6 | Memphis Grizzlies* | 54 | 27 | 12 |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks* | 49 | 32 | 17 |
| 8 | New Orleans Pelicans | 44 | 37 | 22 |
| Still In the Hunt | ||||
| 9 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 44 | 37 | 22 |
| Seed | Team | W | L | GB |
| 1 | Atlanta Hawks* | 60 | 21 | - |
| 2 | Cleveland Cavaliers* | 52 | 29 | 8 |
| 3 | Chicago Bulls* | 49 | 32 | 11 |
| 4 | Toronto Raptors* | 48 | 33 | 12 |
| 5 | Washington Wizards* | 46 | 35 | 14 |
| 6 | Milwaukee Bucks* | 41 | 40 | 19 |
| 7 | Boston Celtics* | 39 | 42 | 21 |
| 8 | Indiana Pacers | 38 | 43 | 22 |
| Still In the Hunt | ||||
| 9 | Brooklyn Nets | 37 | 44 | 23 |
And here's what the playoff matchups look like after Tuesday.
| No. 1 Atlanta Hawks vs. No. 8 Indiana Pacers | |
| No. 4 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 5 Washington Wizards | |
| N. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 7 Boston Celtics | |
| No. 3 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 6 Milwaukee Bucks | |
| No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans | |
| No. 4 Portland Trail Blazers vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets | |
| No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks | |
| No. 3 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 6 Memphis Grizzlies |
Yahoo Sports' Eric Freeman has an excellent breakdown of all the potential playoff scenarios, noting that the Western Conference and its confluence of talent-laden teams makes for a much murkier picture than the one taking shape in the East:
"The West is significantly more complicated. While the Los Angeles Clippers 112-101 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night finishes their regular season and ensures that they cannot finish lower than the No. 3 seed, the San Antonio Spurs or Houston Rockets could still take the No. 2 seed or even fall all the way down to No. 6. There is also one playoff berth yet to be determined.
"
The two most intriguing matchups on Sunday would appear to be San Antonio-New Orleans and Houston-Utah.
According to Freeman, the Spurs—excuse me, "Spuran Spuran"—can finish as the second, third, fifth or sixth seed in the West, while the Rockets can end up as the No. 2, No. 5 or No. 6 seed themselves. In the West, getting the No. 2 seed isn't so much about a favorable matchup as it is about home-court advantage.
When your options include the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers as potential opponents, one is hardly a more comfortable potentiality than the other. Houston can take heart in the fact that they went a sterling 26-15 on the road this season, second-best in the NBA behind Golden State, but they won't want to take chances.
The Spurs and Rockets fates are inextricably intertwined, although San Antonio can clear up plenty of playoff confusion by simply taking care of business and beating the Pelicans on Wednesday.
This is much easier said than done, however, as MVP-candidate Anthony Davis and the rest of the Pelicans squad will be fighting for their playoff lives. Beating the Spurs is the only way to ensure they get an eighth seed.
Should they lose, The Brow and company will have to hope against hope that the 16-65 Minnesota Timberwolves can scrape out a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Russell Westbrook playing basketball like everyone on the court—even the rims—stole his lunch money.
| Pre All-Star | 39 | 23.7 | 25.8 | .431 | 6.3 | 7.6 | 2.2 |
| Post All-Star | 27 | 36.8 | 31.2 | .416 | 8.6 | 10.0 | 2.0 |
The Thunder need the Spurs' help to get into the playoffs, although one shouldn't expect Westbrook to start singing their praises anytime soon based on this response, via Bleacher Report:
No matter what transpires on Wednesday night, fans will unfortunately miss out on one of two great players enjoying the postseason. Westbrook has attempted to almost single-handedly drag the Thunder to the playoffs with Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka both out injured for the tail end of the regular season.
Davis, meanwhile, has put together an incredible season, averaging 24.3 points, 10.2 boards, and 2.9 blocks per game, while also posting a league-best 31.06 player efficiency rating (PER), via ESPN.com (notice Westbrook is second at 28.92).
The Pelicans would seemingly have a cornerstone for years to come in Davis, but the Thunder's future is a bit murkier with Durant's injury issues, his impending free agency in 2016 and Westbrook's contract running out the next season.
