NBA Playoff Standings 2017: Latest Records, Postseason Scenarios and Predictions

The Eastern Conference playoff race is resembling the down-to-the-wire finish of the 1998 Belmont Stakes as the regular season draws to a close.

The No. 1 seed has not been decided, nor have the final two playoff spots. In fact, only Toronto and Washington know their current playoff standing at this point, as they will be the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, respectively.

Here's a look at the three most notable Eastern Conference playoff races and scenarios, alongside predictions and the latest NBA standings.

Records

Place	Team	W	L	GB
1	Boston - y	52	29	0
2	Cleveland - y	51	30	1
3	Toronto - y	50	31	2
4	Washington - y	49	32	3
5	Atlanta - x	42	38	9.5
6	Milwaukee - x	42	39	10
7	Indiana	41	40	11
8	Chicago	40	41	12
9	Miami	40	41	12
10	Detroit - e	37	44	15
11	Charlotte - e	36	45	16
12	New York - e	30	51	22
13	Philadelphia - e	28	53	24
14	Orlando - e	28	53	24
15	Brooklyn - e	20	61	32

Place	Team	W	L	GB
1	Golden State - z	66	15	0
2	San Antonio - y	61	20	5
3	Houston - y	54	27	12
4	Los Angeles Clippers - y	50	31	16
5	Utah - x	50	31	16
6	Oklahoma City - x	46	34	19.5
7	Memphis - x	43	38	23
8	Portland - x	41	40	25
9	Denver - e	38	42	27.5
10	New Orleans - e	33	47	32.5
11	Dallas - e	32	48	33.5
12	Sacramento - e	31	49	34.5
13	Minnesota - e	31	49	34.5
14	Los Angeles Lakers - e	25	55	40.5
15	Phoenix - e	24	57	42

Postseason Scenarios and Predictions

No. 1 Seed

Team	Remaining Games
Boston	Home vs. Milwaukee
Cleveland	Home vs. Toronto

Boston controls its own destiny for the No. 1 seed. If the Celtics beat Milwaukee at home on Wednesday, then they will finish first in the Eastern Conference. However, the C's can lose to the Bucks and still grab the No. 1 seed if Cleveland loses to Toronto.

Jason Lloyd of The Athletic reports that LeBron James is resting on Wednesday against Toronto, and it's no guarantee that Kyrie Irving will play either.

Therefore, it's hard to envision the C's losing at home, where they are 29-11, and Cleveland falling to Toronto, which is what needs to happen for the Cavs to take first.

Expect Boston to take home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Pick: Boston finishes No. 1, Cleveland takes No. 2

No. 5 Seed

Team	Remaining Games
Atlanta	Home vs. Charlotte, Away vs. Indiana
Milwaukee	Away vs. Boston

Atlanta controls its own destiny for the No. 5 seed. If the Hawks beat Charlotte, who will be without star point guard Kemba Walker, per Chris Kroeger of WFNZ, then they will clinch No. 5 and play Washington in the first round.

Milwaukee can jump over Atlanta if it beats Boston (which it did two weeks ago at TD Garden by three points) and the Hawks lose to both Charlotte and Indiana, but that doesn't look like a favorable scenario.

The Hawks are a 7.5-point favorite to beat the Hornets, per OddsShark, which almost seems too low considering that Walker is out and the Hawks are at home. Charlotte has also been awful on the road this year, winning only 14 of their 40 games.

Atlanta should remove all doubt and clinch the No. 5 spot with a win Tuesday.

Pick: Atlanta takes No. 5, Milwaukee finishes No. 6

Remaining Two Playoff Spots

Team	Schedule
Indiana	Home vs. Atlanta
Chicago	Home vs. Brooklyn
Miami	Home vs. Washington

Indiana and Chicago will each make the playoffs if they beat Atlanta and Brooklyn, respectively, on Wednesday.

Even though the Bulls just lost to Brooklyn last week, it's hard seeing the Bulls lose a second straight game to a team that is 20-61, especially considering that this one will take place in Chicago.

The Pacers have a much tougher game against a suddenly hot Atlanta Hawks team that has beaten Boston once and Cleveland twice in its last three games.

That being said, Indiana could be Atlanta's biggest fan on Tuesday night, as the Hawks will clinch the fifth seed with a win over Charlotte as written before.

Therefore, it's conceivable that the Hawks would rest their stars on Wednesday given that their playoff standing would be sewn up.

The Pacers are the pick to win that one and move onto the playoffs.

If Indiana or Chicago slips up, however, expect Miami to jump into the playoff field.

The Heat will face Washington, which already knows that it will be the No. 4 seed. Wizards point guard John Wall and small forward Otto Porter just missed Monday's game against Detroit with injuries, and it wouldn't make much sense for them to return for a meaningless regular-season tilt before the playoffs.

The Wizards are also capping their starters' minutes before the playoffs, so Miami will face a short-handed crew.

Pick: Indiana gets No. 7, Chicago grabs No. 8