NBA Playoff Picture 2016: Standings, Top Storylines Entering Season's Final Week

This has been one of the most exciting finishes to an NBA season in recent memory, but some of the best moments are still yet to come.

The Golden State Warriors moved one win away from a record 73 victories Sunday with an impressive 92-86 road win over the San Antonio Spurs, a squad that had been 39-0 on its home floor prior to the contest.

Future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant will conclude his career Wednesday, and we know the folks at Staples Center will do something amazing to honor him in his final game after 20 seasons with the team. 

And lastly, the playoff races in both conferences are tight. Some higher seeds are already guaranteed to finish in their current spots, but there's a different scenario further down the standings.

After reviewing every team's record and the playoff picture, let's check in with three storylines dominating the headlines with only three nights of regular-season action left.

Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Seed	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	L10
1y	Cleveland Cavaliers	56	24	.700	-	6-4
2y	Toronto Raptors	54	26	.675	2	6-4
3x	Atlanta Hawks	48	32	.600	8	7-3
4x	Boston Celtics	47	33	.587	9	7-3
5x	Miami Heat	47	33	.587	9	6-4
6x	Charlotte Hornets	46	34	.575	10	6-4
7x	Indiana Pacers	43	37	.538	13	6-4
8x	Detroit Pistons	43	37	.538	13	7-3
e	Chicago Bulls	40	40	.500	16	4-6
e	Washington Wizards	39	41	.488	17	4-6
e	Orlando Magic	34	46	.425	22	5-5
e	Milwaukee Bucks	33	47	.412	23	3-7
e	New York Knicks	32	49	.395	24.5	4-6
e	Brooklyn Nets	21	59	.262	35	2-8
e	Philadelphia 76ers	10	70	.125	46	1-9
Seed	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	L10
1z	Golden State Warriors	72	9	.889	-	8-2
2y	San Antonio Spurs	65	15	.813	6.5	6-4
3y	Oklahoma City Thunder	54	26	.675	17.5	6-4
4x	Los Angeles Clippers	52	28	.650	19.5	9-1
5x	Portland Trail Blazers	43	38	.531	29	7-3
6x	Memphis Grizzlies	42	38	.525	29.5	2-8
7	Dallas Mavericks	41	39	.512	30.5	6-4
8	Utah Jazz	40	40	.500	31.5	6-4
	Houston Rockets	39	41	.488	32.5	4-6
e	Denver Nuggets	33	48	.407	39	4-6
e	Sacramento Kings	32	48	.400	39.5	5-5
e	New Orleans Pelicans	30	50	.375	41.5	4-6
e	Minnesota Timberwolves	28	52	.350	43.5	6-4
e	Phoenix Suns	22	58	.275	49.5	3-7
e	Los Angeles Lakers	16	64	.200	55.5	1-9

Middle-Tier Teams Fight for Playoff Seeding

The teams with the six best records in the league have mostly secured their playoff seeds. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors will likely be first and second seeds in the Eastern Conference, respectively, and the Warriors, Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers will take the top four seeds in the Western Conference, respectively.

After those squads, it gets messy.

Two games separate the third-seeded Atlanta Hawks and sixth-seeded Charlotte Hornets in the East, and the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons both sport 43-37 records at the bottom of the East's playoff bracket. Out West, the No. 5-seeded Portland Trail Blazers are just 3.5 games ahead of the No. 9-seeded Houston Rockets. Several teams inside of those ranges could switch around, even with only two games to go in the regular season (or, in Portland's case, one).

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

In a league that includes the 72-9 Warriors and 65-15 Spurs, it may seem futile for mid-tier teams to be fighting for playoff positioning because winning the NBA championship may be a pipe dream. But it does matter for the purpose of gaining momentum and confidence for the future, especially since many of the teams still fighting for their seeding are young.

If you're looking for some of the most "for real" squads outside the elite six, direct your attention to the Hawks, Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz. All three are well-coached teams that play great defense and are on the upswing.

Kobe Caps His Career

It would be an understatement to call Bryant's final season in the NBA a disaster. His Lakers have been a mess on and off the court, and Kobe's frustrating play hasn't brought many fond memories back for fans.

But Bryant is a legend and arguably a top-10 player in basketball history. He commands respect, and we need to give it to him with only two games remaining in his career.

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

Kobe had a nice 35-point outing in just 27 minutes against the Rockets on Sunday, even though it came in a 130-110 loss. With the Lakers locked into the second-worst record in the league, fans will undoubtedly be prioritizing vintage Kobe performances in the final two contests ahead of wins and losses.

Speaking of those final two games, Bryant will be facing the Thunder on the road Monday and the Jazz on Wednesday at Staples Center. The Wednesday matchup will be featured on ESPN2.

The Warriors Go for 73

There's another marquee NBA game on national television that same Wednesday night, and it's an even bigger deal than Kobe's farewell. The Warriors are just one win away from setting a new record of 73 victories in a single season, which would pass the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' mark of 72.

Of course, Golden State's chance to get that win begins at the same time as Kobe's final game (10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN).

Brandon Dill/Associated Press

The Warriors have made it clear all season long that they want the wins record, and their contest against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday shouldn't be any different. Memphis has lost eight of its last nine game and is 0-3 against Golden State this season, but expect the Warriors to trot out all their important players in an attempt to guarantee the victory.

Even if the Warriors do get their 73rd win, history will remember them fondly only if they finish off the season with an NBA title. Golden State, although an amazing team, will have to shift its focus once the playoffs start and every team's record resets to 0-0.