NBA Playoff Standings 2018: Predicting Final Playoff Seedings
The final four days of the NBA regular season might be as exciting as the postseason.
Entering Sunday's games, there is potential for movement from third to eighth place in both the Eastern and Western Conferences.
All eight playoff participants in the East are decided, but there are two-and-a-half games separating Philadelphia in third and Indiana in fifth, while the bottom three franchises are a game apart.
While Houston and Golden State are sitting in great shape atop the West, there are seven teams fighting for six spots within three games of each other.
With some of the teams playing each other in the final stretch of the regular season, including a few showdowns Wednesday, few observers of the league are able to predict which teams will square off in the first round of the postseason.
Final Seeding Predictions
Eastern Conference
1. Toronto
2. Boston
3. Philadelphia
4. Cleveland
5. Indiana
6. Washington
7. Miami
8. Milwaukee
Western Conference
1. Houston
2. Golden State
3. Portland
4. Utah
5. San Antonio
6. Oklahoma City
7. New Orleans
8. Minnesota
Sixers Finish Incredible Regular-Season Run By Clinching 3rd in East
Philadelphia looked the part of a playoff team in its Friday victory over Cleveland, which was done without Joel Embiid.
Ben Simmons recorded a triple-double with three minutes left in the third quarter after leading the Sixers to a 78-point first half in which they held a 30-point advantage over the Cavaliers.
Brett Brown's team is riding a 13-game winning streak into the final week of the regular season, and there's no signs of slowing down the process.
The third-place team in the East should carry 15 straight victories into Wednesday's regular-season finale against Milwaukee since it plays Dallas and Atlanta Sunday and Tuesday.
Cleveland is the only team that can take over the No. 3 seed from the Sixers, but it only has two games remaining, a home-and-away series with the New York Knicks starting Monday.
Although the Sixers are 1-2 against the Bucks, the lone victory came at the Wells Fargo Center, where Wednesday's showdown takes place.
Milwaukee has plenty on the line entering Philadelphia, but with a 10-9 mark since the start of March, it struggled to find a rhythm and separate itself from the pack at the bottom of the playoff positions.
A win by the Sixers Wednesday could potentially be a positive for the Bucks as well, as they drop to the No. 8 seed, which means they would face a Toronto team with a world of pressure on its back in the first round.
Minnesota Survives Chaotic Final Push in West
The NBA couldn't have asked for a better conclusion to the West playoff race, as four of the six teams fighting for fourth through eighth play each other on the final day of the regular season.
While the clash between New Orleans and San Antonio carries importance, the real game to watch is between Minnesota and Denver, who are fighting for the No. 8 seed.
The Nuggets pulled intrigue into the race for the final West playoff spot Thursday, as they knocked off the Timberwolves by four points at home.
However, the Wolves could have a one-game advantage entering Wednesday's game at Target Center since they have an easier opponent Monday in the form of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Denver faces Portland, who is currently locked into the No. 3 seed, at home Monday before traveling to Minneapolis.
Although the Nuggets are on a five-game winning streak and carry a 2-1 record against the Trail Blazers into Monday, Damian Lillard and Co. are in need of a result to reverse course, and they will get that with the Nuggets looking ahead to Wednesday.
Minnesota is 2-1 against Denver, with both victories coming in a seven-day span at the end of December.
The Wolves' home record also plays into their favor, as they are 28-11 at Target Center, which is the fourth-best mark in the West behind Houston, Golden State and San Antonio.
Denver is the second-worst road team of the nine playoff contenders in the West, with only San Antonio beneath it. While it has won its last two road games, Denver went 3-4 on a recent trip in which it fell to Memphis, Miami, Philadelphia and Toronto.
Although the game should be close, the Wolves will pull away at the end to secure a playoff date with the top-seeded Rockets.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from NBA.com.
