NBA Playoff Picture 2019: Reviewing Latest Bracket Scenarios for East, West
NBA teams have fewer than 10 games left on the schedule. The regular-season marathon nears the end, and we're beginning to see the playoff picture take shape.
This year, there's a new buzz around the Eastern Conference with LeBron James now in the Western Conference. The Milwaukee Bucks have the No. 1 seed with a four-game lead over the Toronto Raptors, who lost to the Charlotte Hornets thanks to a stunning buzzer-beater Sunday.
While the Bucks march toward home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, the Boston Celtics continue to go through hot and cold streaks.
Many expected the Celtics to lead the East, coming off back-to-back conference finals appearances. What's their current postseason matchup, and will they right the ship in the coming weeks?
In the West, current playoff scenarios bring old teammates and a familiar matchup to the forefront with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets lined up to face each other. What's changed between those two clubs this time around?
It's late March, and the Los Angeles Clippers are in the thick of the playoff picture. At this juncture, they draw a favorable opponent, and health could tilt the balance in their favor.
Before digging into a few intriguing matchups, take a look at the full NBA standings.
NBA Standings as of March 25
Eastern Conference Standings
1. y-Milwaukee Bucks (55-19)
2. x-Toronto Raptors (51-23)
3. x-Philadelphia 76ers (47-26)
4. x-Indiana Pacers (45-29)
5. Boston Celtics (43-31)
6. Brooklyn Nets (38-36)
7. Detroit Pistons (37-36)
8. Miami Heat (36-37)
9. Orlando Magic (35-38)
10. Charlotte Hornets (34-39)
11. Washington Wizards (30-44)
12. e-Atlanta Hawks (26-48)
13. e-Chicago Bulls (21-53)
14. e-Cleveland Cavaliers (19-55)
15. e-New York Knicks (14-60)
Western Conference Standings
1. x-Golden State Warriors (50-23)
2. x-Denver Nuggets (49-23)
3. x-Houston Rockets (47-27)
4. Portland Trail Blazers (45-27)
5. Los Angeles Clippers (44-30)
6. Oklahoma City Thunder (43-30)
7. Utah Jazz (43-30)
8. San Antonio Spurs (43-31)
9. Sacramento Kings (36-37)
10. e-Minnesota Timberwolves (33-40)
11. e-Los Angeles Lakers (32-41)
12. e-New Orleans Pelicans (31-44)
13. e-Memphis Grizzlies (29-44)
14. e-Dallas Mavericks (29-44)
15. e-Phoenix Suns (17-57)
Note: x = clinched a playoff spot, y = clinched division, e = eliminated from playoff contention
Bracket Scenarios
No. 4 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 5 Boston Celtics
Despite guard Victor Oladipo's absence, the Indiana Pacers hold the No. 4 seed with an opportunity to host a first-round matchup.
Although head coach Nate McMillan's group struggled over the last week, they snapped a four-game skid with an impressive 124-88 victory over the Denver Nuggets Sunday. Bojan Bogdanovic led the team with 35 points.
Bogdanovic averages a career-high 17.7 points per game as the Pacers' active lead scorer with Oladipo on the sidelines. Indiana will need to keep up the intensity on defense. According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), this club is 20-1 when holding teams to 97 or fewer points.
If the seedings hold, the Pacers would draw a Celtics squad that's lost their last four contests. Many thought a healthy Kyrie Irving and the return of Gordon Hayward would push this club to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference—not so fast.
The Celtics have a solid record, but their key contributors haven't clicked in unison, which has cost this team games throughout the season.
In February, forward Marcus Morris spoke on the mindset in the locker room following a 123-112 home loss to the Clippers:
Once the postseason starts, it's fair to think a roster with Irving, Hayward and Jayson Tatum will figure everything out in a high-stakes scenario. Furthermore, head coach Brad Stevens has guided this franchise to consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances with less talent.
On paper, the Celtics should be favored to win this series, despite being the lower seed. These teams will play each other twice in the next two weeks—set for the remaining Fridays of the regular-season schedule.
No. 3 Houston Rockets vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder
We could see a 2016-17 postseason rematch between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, who held the same seeds two years ago. Each team would have a new key contributor in the potential series—Chris Paul for the Rockets and Paul George in Oklahoma City.
The light will continue to shine brightest on James Harden, who's been under recent scrutiny because of his postseason play. Paul isn't the same player from years ago; he's averaging career lows in field-goal percentage (.419) and points per game (15.7). Harden, who's a candidate for league MVP, must put the Rockets on his back in the playoffs in order to advance multiple rounds.
Russell Westbrook would also face immense pressure in this series. Some may argue George is the more complete player, but the career-long Thunder guard remains the face of the franchise.
Last Monday, Westbrook missed a home game against the Miami Heat because of a suspension; he picked up his 16th technical foul this season. The eight-time All-Star is subject to further one-game bans for every two technical fouls going forward.
Whether it's the Rockets or any other opponent in the opening round, Westbrook must do his best to harness his intensity. Beyond his scoring, the 11th-year guard leads the league in assists (10.4) and lists third in steals (2.0) per game.
In what could become a seven-game series, the Thunder can't afford to lose him for a contest.
No. 4 Portland Trail Blazers vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers have won five consecutive games and nine of the last 10. They're the NBA's hottest surprise team without All-Stars in the starting lineup.
Los Angeles turned the chapter on a flashy group called "Lob City," missed the playoffs last year and flew under the radar through the 2018-19 campaign.
Before this year's trade deadline, the front office traded arguably its best asset in Tobias Harris, but head coach Doc Rivers continues to push this team in the right direction.
Lou Williams is coming off the bench and leading this club in scoring with 20.2 points per game. Danilo Gallinari is averaging a career-high 19.6 points per contest. Montrezl Harrell provides a boost on both ends of the court, averaging 16.8 points and 1.4 swats.
It's difficult to pinpoint the Clippers' go-to contributors on a given night, but the Portland Trail Blazers would have their hands full in the first round.
It's worth noting the Blazers will re-evaluate C.J. McCollum's popliteus strain this week, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski:
Portland won its last three outings without McCollum, but the Blazers would sorely miss him in a playoff matchup. The sixth-year guard's health is the wild card in this series; his absence would even the talent on paper.
Portland would have All-Star guard Damian Lillard in action, but who is primed to fill the secondary scoring role? Perhaps, we'd see center Jusuf Nurkic with a big performance. He's averaging a double-double (15.4 points and 10.3 rebounds) this year.
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