Checking in on every playoff and play-in race as final week of season begins
By Ben Handler
We’ve reached the final week of the NBA’s regular season and there’s still so much up in the air. Besides the Celtics wrapping up the top seed in the Eastern Conference, almost everything is on the line with only a handful of games remaining.
The regular season ends on Sunday, and no NBA games are scheduled on Monday due to the NCAA men’s National Championship game taking place. So there are only a few more games for teams to make statements and final pushes in the standings.
More than half the league’s teams have major stakes and are hugely motivated to finish the season strongly and secure the most favorable position possible for the postseason. The 20 postseason teams are officially locked in, but their final seeds and first-round matchups are completely unsettled.
The Nuggets, of course, are locked in a battle for the number one seed in the Western Conference and homecourt advantage until the Finals. But that’s far from the only race going on, there are others with even more at stake.
This should be an electric final week of games, with playoff-like atmospheres all across the NBA. As Monday is an off-day for the league, here’s a guide to every race that’s still in play, who’s involved, and what teams have to play for.