NBA Playoff Predictions: Bubble Teams' Chances to Make Postseason

The NBA season has gone from the dragged out days of March to the winding down days of April.

With teams having less than 10 games to go until the end of the regular season, there is very little time left to grab a playoff spot.

At the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff scenario, only three teams realistically have a shot at the final playoff spot.

The Indiana Pacers currently hold the No. 8 seed, with the Charlotte Bobcats a game back and the Milwaukee Bucks three games back.

In the Western Conference, the final seed is currently held by the Memphis Grizzlies, with Houston lagging behind by three games.

With so few games remaining on the schedule, there is very little chance for any other team to claw their way back into the hunt.

So, with only seven to nine games left on the docket, depending on the team, it's time to take a look at the final playoff spots and see who is most likely to end up with the daunting task of facing the number one seed in their respective conferences.

Eastern Conference

Of the three teams with a shot to grab the spot, the Pacers probably have the easiest path the rest of the way, although it is no cakewalk.

They have the fewest games remaining and have only one game left against the top eight teams in the league, as they finish their season off in Orlando. Otherwise, they still have three other games against playoff-bound teams, facing the Hornets, Hawks and Knicks.

Charlotte easily has the best chance of taking the eighth seed away from Indiana, as they currently sit only one game back; however, they have the toughest schedule the rest of the way.

The will have to play Orlando twice, Miami and Atlanta, but can help their cause with games against Washington, Cleveland, Detroit and New Jersey along the way.

They will probably have to win all four of their games against the non-playoff teams, along with at least one, preferably two against the playoff teams on their docket.

Milwaukee will have the most difficulty grabbing the final spot, as they are three games back of the No. 8 seed.

They face off against the Heat, Magic and Thunder in three of their final eight games. Their most important game left comes Friday against the Pacers, a chance to gain a full game.

A win there would leave them two back of Indiana and with the rest of their games against Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland and Toronto.

Milwaukee would probably have to win most of their games left (I'd say at least six of the eight including the game against Indiana) in order to have a shot at grabbing the final seed.

When all is said and done, Indiana should walk away from the final weeks of the season with a ticket to the playoffs firmly in their hands.

They should take Milwaukee out of contention this Friday and after that, they just have to win as many games as possible in order to put the pressure on the Bobcats.

Western Conference

In the West, realistically only two teams remain in the playoff hunt.

Sure, Phoenix and Utah are still mathematically alive, but they are five-and-a-half and six games back, respectively, and would need to win out with implosions coming from the teams ahead of them.

The two teams with a shot at the spot are Memphis and Houston, with Memphis holding a three game lead.

Currently, the magic number for Memphis is five—as in five wins by themselves, five losses from Houston or any combination of the two would clinch their playoff spot.

Memphis also has the easier remaining schedule, as the best team they face over the last two weeks is Portland, with two games against the Hornets, two against the Clippers and games against Minnesota and Sacramento remaining.

Meanwhile, Houston has to go up against San Antonio, Atlanta and Dallas in their final two weeks, along with games against the Kings, Hornets, Clippers and T-Wolves.

While Houston does have a shot at taking the spot away from Memphis, it seems unlikely that they will be able to take it, as it will be difficult for them to win enough games or have Houston lose enough.

So congratulations Pacers and Grizzlies, your prize?

You get to play in a seven-game series with the two best teams in the league.

Good luck.