The NBA regular season is in its home stretch as teams are making their 2017 NBA Playoff pushes. The two top contenders since the start of this season have been the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors. As of this report, both teams lead their respective conferences, but the leads they hold are just a handful of games, giving hope to several other teams below them.
Several teams have also clinched playoff spots or been eliminated, while several more are contending for the final spots. Here's the latest look at the playoff picture as of Sunday, March 26th.
Eastern Conference picture
LeBron James and the Cavs currently sit at the top with a 47-25 record. However, their lead over the Boston Celtics is just a half game. Boston has a 47-26 record with nine games left on their slate. The Washington Wizards (45-28) and Toronto Raptors (44-29) are in third and fourth respectively. All four of these teams have clinched playoff spots now.
That leaves four spots in the Eastern Conference.
If the NBA playoffs started today they would go to the Atlanta Hawks (37-35), Milwaukee Bucks (37-35), Indiana Pacers (36-36) and Miami Heat (35-37). Three teams still have a shot to grab spots if they heat up, though. The Charlotte Hornets at 32-40, as well as the Bulls and Pistons each at 34-39, could go on a streak and still make the postseason.
One team is statistically eliminated form the postseason as the 15-57 Brooklyn Nets are preparing to rebuild. The same might be said for Orlando, New York, and Philadelphia who are all expected to get high picks in the NBA Draft this summer.
Western Conference picture
Over in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors are reigning supreme, at least by a few games.
They're currently ahead of rivals the San Antonio Spurs by just two games. The two teams will also meet in a game to be played at San Antonio before the season ends, so the Spurs could very well take over that top spot. Keep in mind Kevin Durant is not playing. The Warriors have won six-straight while the Spurs have won four.
Two other West teams have qualified for the playoffs already. The Houston Rockets (50-22) have snatched a spot, as have the Los Angeles Clippers (44-30). The Utah Jazz are still in the mix, though, at 44-29 but have yet to clinch.
Other teams who would qualify for the playoffs today include the OKC Thunder (41-3), Memphis Grizzlies (40-32) and Denver Nuggets (35-37). They would claim the sixth, seventh, and eighth seeds for the NBA West.
The Trail Blazers are within striking distance of Denver's No. 8 spot, trailing by about a game, while Dallas, New Orleans also seem to have a slight chance at grabbing that spot, but will need to start winning. Both teams have lost their previous game so it's time to turn it around.
As for the Phoenix Suns (22-51) and Los Angeles Lakers (21-51), both teams are already eliminated from the running and will probably be selecting one of the top three NBA Draft picks this summer. Sacramento and Minnesota also seem destined for the lottery, although their fans might wish for some postseason games to be played.