The final day of the NBA regular season saw a lot of movement in the playoff picture, with 15 of the 20 playoff seeds still undetermined. Eleven of the last 15 regular season games had a direct impact on the standings and playoff matchups. The Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers were all in contention for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Ultimately, the Knicks claimed the No. 2 seed, with the Bucks finishing in third and the Cavaliers in fourth. The Orlando Magic secured the No. 5 seed, the Indiana Pacers the No. 6 seed, the Philadelphia 76ers No. 7, and the Miami Heat No. 8.
In the Western Conference, three teams were tied for first place going into the final day, but blowout wins made the outcome anticlimactic. Oklahoma City took the No. 1 seed, followed by Denver at No. 2 and Minnesota at No. 3. Phoenix’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers secured them the No. 6 seed, with the Lakers ending up at No. 7. The Sacramento Kings clinched the No. 9 seed over the Golden State Warriors due to a better division record. The playoff matchups were set, with the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Phoenix Suns all claiming their positions.
The Eastern Conference first-round matchups will see Boston vs. the winner of the play-in game between Philadelphia and Miami, New York vs. the winner of the play-in game between Miami and Philadelphia, Milwaukee vs. Indiana, and Cleveland vs. Orlando. In the Western Conference, the first-round matchups feature Oklahoma City vs. the winner of the play-in game between New Orleans and the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver vs. the winner of the play-in game between the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans, Minnesota vs. Phoenix, and Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks.
The play-in tournament schedule includes games on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday of the opening week of the playoffs. The matchups will determine the final seeds in each conference before the first-round series begin. The play-in games will be broadcast on TNT and ESPN, with the winners advancing to face the top seeds in both conferences. The playoff brackets, seeds, matchups, schedule, and TV broadcast information provide fans with all the details they need to follow the action as the NBA playoffs get underway. The exciting conclusion to the regular season has set the stage for what promises to be a thrilling postseason.
