The NBA Playoff Picture
It's been a little more than a week since the NBA returned, and we're halfway done with seeding play among the 22 teams invited to the NBA bubble in Orlando.
So, let's take a quick look at the NBA playoff picture:
How many days are left in the regular season?
The NBA restart kicked off on Thursday, July 30, with a doubleheader featuring Utah vs. New Orleans, and the LA Clippers vs. the LA Lakers. Since then, there have been at least five games per day, and the final day of the regular season will take place on Friday, Aug. 14 – less than a week from today.
The first round of the NBA playoffs begins on Aug. 17.
The Western Conference Playoff picture
Seven teams have clinched a playoff berth out West: the Lakers, the Clippers, Denver, Houston, Utah, Oklahoma City and Dallas.
While the Lakers have secured the No. 1 seed, there is still some jostling that can be done to determine seeds 2-7.
The race for the 8-seed is a tight one, with Portland trailing current 8-seed Memphis by 1.5 games, and San Antonio trailing the Grizzlies by 2 games.
New Orleans and Phoenix are 2.5 games back of the Grizzlies, and the Sacramento Kings are 3.5 games back.
However, with Memphis' win over the Thunder on Friday, the Spurs, Pelicans, Suns and Kings would need a lot of help to catch the Grizzlies.
There will be a play-in tournament for the 8th seed that will most likely involve Memphis and Portland, Memphis and San Antonio, or Portland and San Antonio.
The two teams that finish in 8th and 9th when the regular season is over will play a short series to determine who makes the playoffs as the 8th seed.
The team that finishes in 8th will be required to beat the 9th seed once to qualify for the playoffs. The team that finishes in 9th will be required to beat the 8th seed twice to qualify for the postseason.
On Saturday, Portland will face the Clippers. The Blazers then finish seeding play against Philadelphia, Dallas and Brooklyn.
On Sunday, Memphis will play Toronto, before finishing the regular season against Boston and Milwaukee.
The Spurs will face New Orleans on Sunday, before taking on Houston and Utah in their final two games.
The Eastern Conference playoff picture
The postseason outlook in the Eastern Conference is a lot less murky.
The 8-team field is set: Milwaukee has clinched the top-seed, and joining the Bucks in the playoffs are Toronto, Boston, Miami, Indiana, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Orlando.
Both the Pacers and Sixers are a game behind Miami for the 4th seed, and the Magic are 1.5 games behind the Nets for the 7th seed.
That's as far as the drama goes out East.