Two Weeks Left and the West Is Still Up For Grabs: Here's Where Every Contender Stands

The NBA regular season is down to its final stretch. Less than two weeks remain before the postseason tips off, and while every team that's going to make the playoffs has already locked in their spot, the real battle is heating up. Teams are scrambling to secure seeding, and in the Eastern Conference especially, the margins are razor thin. Only four games separate the fifth seed Atlanta Hawks from the tenth seed Miami Heat. That's wild.

The West Is Thunder's Crown to Lose

Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder have claimed the Northwest Division and sit at the top of the entire conference with a 61-16 record. The San Antonio Spurs grabbed the Southwest at 59-18, two games back, while the Los Angeles Lakers took the Pacific Division at 50-27. Here's the fascinating part: the Spurs are close enough to the Thunder that they could actually still chase down the top seed before the regular season wraps. The Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, LA Clippers, and Golden State Warriors round out the West's playoff picture.

On April 2, the Houston Rockets officially clinched a playoff berth when the Phoenix Suns fell to the Charlotte Hornets 127-107. Same day, the Cleveland Cavaliers locked up their spot with an 118-111 win over the Warriors.

East Is a Bloodbath

The Detroit Pistons are running away with the Eastern Conference at 56-21 with the division locked down. Behind them: the Boston Celtics (51-25), New York Knicks (49-28), and Cleveland Cavaliers (48-29). But then it gets messy. The Hawks, 76ers, and Raptors are all bunched up in the middle, and the Play-In Tournament waiting below is a minefield nobody wants to fall into.

Play-In and Playoff Action Ahead

The Play-In Tournament tips off Tuesday, April 14 and runs through Friday, April 17. Out West, the seventh seed Suns face the eighth seed Trail Blazers, while the ninth seed Clippers take on the tenth seed Warriors. In the East, the seventh seed Raptors square off against the eighth seed Hornets, and the ninth seed Magic battle the tenth seed Heat.

The actual playoffs kick off Saturday, April 18. Game 1 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3. The postseason is finally here.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.