NBA Playoffs 2016: Known Schedule, Bracket Picture Before Final Games of Season
The final night of the NBA regular season is definitely one you don't want to miss.
Not only is Kobe Bryant appearing in his final game, but the Golden State Warriors are playing for the single-season wins record. If that weren't enough, seven of the 16 playoff seeds have yet to be decided, which means a huge chunk of the 14 Wednesday night matchups will have postseason implications.
So let's check what the playoff seeding looks like through Tuesday's contests, then break down the three seeding areas that need to be sorted out Wednesday.
But first, take a peek at the information the NBA has released regarding its playoff schedule.
| First Round | April 16-May 1 | ESPN/ABC/TNT/NBA TV |
| Conference Semifinals | May 2-May 16 | ESPN/ABC/TNT |
| Conference Finals | May 17-June 1 | ESPN/TNT |
| NBA Finals | June 2-June 19 | ABC |
| Matchup | Matchup |
| No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Detroit Pistons | No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 Houston Rockets |
| No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 7 Indiana Pacers | No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies |
| No. 3 Miami Heat vs. No. 6 Charlotte Hornets | No. 3 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 6 Dallas Mavericks |
| No. 4 Atlanta Hawks vs. No. 5 Boston Celtics | No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Portland Trail Blazers |
Undecided Seeding Areas
Eastern Conference Seeds Three Through Six
There's a tight grouping of four young squads on the rise in the middle of the Eastern Conference, and they're only separated by one game heading into the final night of the regular season. The Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets currently occupy seeds three through six, respectively.
However, the potential that the order will change after Wednesday's games is tremendous, as the Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman noted.
The excitement in this seeding area is increased by the fact that Miami and Boston face each other on the last night of the season. Both teams have finished the season pretty well, but the Celtics will be at home, and the Heat endured a taxing 99-93 victory over the Detroit Pistons Tuesday night, two factors that work in Boston's favor.
Atlanta will visit the Washington Wizards, and Charlotte will host the Orlando Magic. So, depending on how you think the three relevant matchups will play out Wednesday, you can use the above seeding outline to predict where the four teams will finish.
Western Conference Seeds Six and Seven
After the Memphis Grizzlies' late-night loss to the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday, they are officially out of the running for the No. 5 seed despite holding it for most of the season. They've just had too many injuries to overcome.
Memphis actually dropped two seeds in one night, as the sixth-seeded Dallas Mavericks now have the same record as the Grizzlies and own the tiebreaker.
The chances that the Grizzlies regain one of those spots are slim. They have the unique honor of traveling to Oracle Arena on Wednesday night—the second night of a back-to-back—for a matchup against the history-chasing Warriors. A miraculous win there coupled with a Dallas loss gets it done, but that's even more unlikely considering the circumstances of the Mavericks' upcoming contest.
Dallas hosts the 66-15 San Antonio Spurs Wednesday, but San Antonio won't be playing its full roster coming off a Tuesday win against the Oklahoma City Thunder with its No. 2 seed wrapped up. Per the San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald, the team will be without at least two starters (emphasis on "at least").
It gets worse for Memphis; the injury-plagued squad will likely have to face that same 66- or 67-win Spurs team in the first round, a No. 2 seed with a record that would've led the conference in almost any other year. It's a tougher proposition than facing a Thunder squad that often struggles with fourth-quarter execution and has an inconsistent defense.
Basically, expect Dallas to get the No. 6 seed and Memphis to nab the No. 7 slot, barring some truly wacky results.
Western Conference Seeds Eight and Nine
This seeding battle might as well be dubbed the "Who Wants to Get Smeared by the Golden State Warriors" sweepstakes (no pun intended). The Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz both own 40-41 records and have their final game Wednesday to determine which squad will be quickly taken out to pasture by the Warriors in the first round.
Houston owns the tiebreaker and is the favorite to sneak into the postseason. The only Wednesday outcome that results in a Jazz playoff berth is a loss for the Rockets and a Utah win. Even worse for the Jazz, the Rockets should have a huge edge at home against the Sacramento Kings.
Per the Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones, the Kings will be missing a plethora of impact players in the contest.
The Jazz face the task of winning in Los Angeles against the Lakers in Bryant's final NBA game. Utah is easily a better team than the Lakers, but who knows what could happen with Bryant's fans and teammates motivated to help him go out with a win.
Both the Rockets and Jazz must've expected a playoff berth this season, so even a first-round loss (likely a sweep) would be more gratifying than a few balls in the draft lottery.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
