There is one month left in the NBA regular season. Wait, what? how?
It's often said that the NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint. But like any long-distance race, the final leg is a sprint, which teams experience throughout the season.
The top seed in the East (Boston) is almost certain, but the top seed in the West will be a battle between three teams (Oklahoma City, Denver, and Minnesota), with the fourth seed (Los Angeles Clippers) lurking.
4th through 8th in the East (New York, Orlando, Indiana, Philadelphia, Miami) are only two and a half games apart, so big moves could happen between these five teams.
In the West, 6th through 10th (Phoenix, Sacramento, Dallas, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors) are three and a half games apart.
The other seeds in both conferences are still to be determined, which will affect home court advantage in the seven-game series, and health conditions will also affect teams' standings.
Let's take a look at the playoff race and where the teams stand. (Records are based on matches played up to March 12th):
eastern conference
1. Boston Celtics (51-14)
They have been the best team in the East all season, and barring a major collapse, they will finish with the league's best overall record and home court advantage. The team has reached the conference finals in five of the past seven seasons, including a trip to the 2022 Finals, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way for Boston. This is the best chance to win a new title.
2. Milwaukee Bucks (42-24)
It's been a strange season for the Bucks for a team heading for 50 wins. They fired first-year coach Adrian Griffin with a record of 30 wins and 13 losses. It's Doc Rivers' show now, and they've had solid wins over the past month against the Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets. Can the Bucks get the most out of the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard pairing in time to effectively make the playoffs?
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (41-24)
The Cavaliers made a strong push before the All-Star break, putting distance between themselves and the next group of teams. They are closer to the No. 2 seed than the No. 4 seed. The key will be ensuring the health of Donovan Mitchell, who is ineligible for major regular-season awards because he hasn't played in at least 65 games. Either way, he's having a great season and will be essential to Cleveland's playoff success.
4. New York Knicks (38-27)
Injuries to Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson have affected the Knicks' season, and they are currently fighting to escape the play-in game format. They are three games behind Cleveland, but only 2.5 games behind No. 8 Miami.
5. Orlando Magic (37-28)
They've been steady for much of the season, backed by a top-five defense and a 14-6 record since late January. The Magic continue to grow with a promising coach in Jamal Mosley and a roster that includes All-Stars Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony.
6. Indiana Pacers (37-29)
The Pacers have also been plagued by injuries, with first Tyrese Haliburton and then Benedict Mathurin out for the season. The key is not to have a play-in format.
7. Philadelphia 76ers (36-29)
Joel Embiid's injury ended the 76ers' chances of advancing to a higher seed in the regular season, but a potential return in the playoffs leaves the 76ers as a dangerous lower seed.
8. Miami Heat (36-29)
Always a tough opponent with coach Erik Spoelstra, forward Jimmy Butler and forward center Bam Adebayo, the Heat are currently in the mix after quality wins over Milwaukee, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Sacramento. It's been 3 consecutive losses.
9. Chicago Bulls (31-34)
The Bulls appear to be locked into a play-in game situation, and it's hard to imagine they would give Boston any trouble if they emerged as the No. 8 seed.
10. Atlanta Hawks (29-35)
The Hawks are expected to have Trae Young back from a left hand injury late in the regular season, but the Hawks are under .500 this season and are too inconsistent.
11. Brooklyn Nets (26-39)
The Nets, who have an interim head coach, need a lot of wins to close a 3-1/2-game deficit and enter the play-in game.
western conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (45-20)
The Thunder are in the midst of a sensational season, and the future looks even brighter with current talent and future draft picks. The big question facing OKC this season: The Thunder, led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, are talented but able to make the playoffs without much playoff experience, going from a team that missed the playoffs last season. Will he make the team? Will he be on this season's roster?
2. Denver Nuggets (45-20)
They're where they want to be at this point in the season, and remain a team to beat no matter what seed they are, as Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets look to win their second straight championship.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves (45-21)
Karl-Anthony Towns is out with a knee injury and will miss the remainder of the regular season. Yes, the Timberwolves still have a strong squad in Anthony Edwards, Mike Conley, and Rudy Gobert, but Towns is a key building block. Will he be healthy enough for the Timberwolves to at least reach the conference finals in the playoffs?
4. Los Angeles Clippers (41-23)
Russell Westbrook (hand injury) is out, and Kawhi Leonard left Tuesday's game with back spasms. As long as Leonard is ready for the playoffs along with Paul George and James Harden, the Clippers have strong Finals vibes.
5. New Orleans Pelicans (39-25)
The Pelicans have been stable for most of the year, but have improved recently, moving up the standings with a 13-4 record since January 30th. They have talent in Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Jonas Valanciunas, and Zion Williamson, who is playing some minutes. Best ball of his career. A four seed is not out of reach.
6. Phoenix Suns (38-27)
The other team has been slowed by injuries, but if Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal are healthy, the Suns are definitely a dangerous team.
7. Sacramento Kings (37-27)
The Kings may not finish third in the West like they did last season, but that doesn't mean they're any worse in a deeper, tougher conference this season. They hope to finish in the top six and escape the play-in game format.
8. Dallas Mavericks (37-28)
It's hard to get a solid read on the Mavericks, as they should be ranked higher with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The remaining games are against Golden State (three times) and against Sacramento (both away), and the playoff contention looms large.
9. Los Angeles Lakers (36-30)
The Lakers have work to do to climb out of ninth place and avoid needing two wins in the play-ins to make the playoffs. But even if they are available, LeBron James and Anthony Davis will have a tough battle unless they face the Nuggets, who have won eight straight games over the Lakers, including a sweep in last year's conference finals.
10. Golden State Warriors (34-30)
Golden State is still the same with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. It may not be the same as the 2017 Warriors, but it still means something. A semi-friendly schedule with seven matches played against teams lower in the standings. But the games against Dallas (three times) and the Lakers (two times) will tell you the story.
11. Houston Rockets (30-35)
The Rockets got off to a strong start, but their depth in the West side took a toll and they faltered. The Rockets are a team that has improved compared to last season, but the postseason is out of reach this year.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA playoff bracket 2024 to be tightly shaped by East, West standings
