NBA Playoffs 2017: Known Schedule, Bracket Picture Before Final Games of Season
This is it, ladies and gentlemen. The final day of the 2016-2017 NBA regular season is upon us, which can only mean one thing: complete and utter chaos.
In the Western Conference, almost every team knows what seed they have and who they will be playing, with the exception of the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers.
Simple, right? Great. Now let's take a look at the unpredictable and forever-changing Eastern Conference that is sure to be a lot different after Wednesday's slate of games.
Let's start at the top with the one seed: Can the Boston Celtics actually pull it off and clinch home-court advantage through the playoffs? Is Cleveland really OK with its Cavaliers being the No. 2 seed? And what about seeds 5-8? We haven't even began to talk about those yet.
Have no fear, because that's what exactly what we're going to go over below. But first, let's take a look the upcoming playoff schedule and dates before we get into the standings as of Tuesday night.
| First Round | April 15 | ESPN/ABC/TNT/NBA TV |
| Conference Semifinals | May 1 | ESPN/ABC/TNT |
| Conference Finals | Tuesday, May 16 (possible move to Sunday, May 14 or Monday, May 15) | ESPN/TNT |
| NBA Finals | Thursday, June 1 | ABC |
| No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 Chicago Bulls | No. 1 vs. Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trailblazers |
| No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 7 Indiana Pacers | No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies |
| No. 3 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 6 Milwaukee Bucks | No. 3 Houston Rockets vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder |
| No. 4 Washington Wizards vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks | No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. Utah Jazz |
Undecided Seeding Areas
Western Conference seeds No. 4/No. 5
Since the Western Conference is a lot simpler to figure out, we'll tip-off there. Every seed has been decided with the exception of the No. 4 and No. 5 seed, which will either belong to the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers.
Both teams sit with a 50-31 record heading into the 82nd and final game of the season. As it stands, the Clippers hold the season tiebreaker over the Jazz and are locked in at No. 4 while Utah is at No. 5.
The Jazz need to beat the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday—easier said than done even if the Spurs rest their starters—and hope the Clippers lose.
All Los Angeles has to do is beat the Sacramento Kings and it gets home court in the first round of the playoffs. Either way, the Jazz and Clippers will duke it out in a playoff series.
The only thing that is left to be decided is who gets to play more games at home.
Eastern Conference seeds No. 1/No. 2/No. 5/No. 6/No. 7/No. 8
The Boston Celtics are in a unique position. Not only do they own the right to swap with the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA Draft this summer—shoutout former Nets general manager Billy King—but they are also in prime position for the No. 1 seed in the East and control their own destiny.
With a win over the Bucks, the Celtics clinch the No. 1. The Bucks are a playoff team themselves but don't have that much to play for other than deciding if they'll be the fifth or sixth seed.
That would explain why they decided to rest some of their star players heading into Wednesday's matchup against Boston.
If Cleveland wins and the Celtics lose, the Cavs retain the top seed because they own the season tiebreaker. Toronto and Washington are locked into the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, respectively, and don't have much to play for other than playing spoiler for other teams.
While the Raptors play Cleveland, the Wizards will take on the Heat, who are in do-or-die mode. Not only does Miami need to beat the Wizards, it also needs the Bulls to lose against the Nets and a Pacers loss against the Hawks.
The Heat are eliminated if they lose or if the Bulls and Pacers win. For the Bulls, if they lose and Miami win, then they're out. A win guarantees them a spot in the playoffs, but they could also improve their positioning if the Pacers slip up against Atlanta.
For Indiana, a win solidifies its chances at a postseason berth, but if the Pacers lose and the Bulls and Heat win, then they'll be entering the lottery instead of being in the first round of the playoffs.
It's chaos, I tell you. But it's going to be an exciting finish on Wednesday.
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