The NBA's Final Week is About to Get Messy, and These Five Matchups Will Decide Everything

We are down to the wire, folks. The 2025-26 NBA regular season is basically finished, which means playoff basketball is knocking on the door. Seeding races in both conferences are heating up fast, play-in tournament spots are still up for grabs, and first-round matchups are becoming clearer by the day. Five teams in the West have already locked in their playoff spots, with the Oklahoma City Thunder clinching the division for the third straight season and hunting to become the first repeat champs since 2018. The East is tighter, with only four teams having clinched so far. The play-in picture in the East is still being decided in these final days, and trust us, it is going to come down to the wire.

The East Top Four is Far From Settled

Here's what we know for sure: the Detroit Pistons are going to finish with the top seed in the East, even though they lost Cade Cunningham for the final weeks with a collapsed lung. After that? All bets are off. The Boston Celtics are likely wrapping up the second spot, but they still have work to do to officially lock it in. The New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers are going to battle down to the final days to figure out who finishes third and fourth, and the Atlanta Hawks are right there too as the likely fifth-place team. Here's the thing: Atlanta is hosting New York on Monday, and then they've got a home-and-home with Cleveland on Wednesday and Friday. Those games are going to decide a ton about who faces the Hawks in the first round. Pay attention to those matchups.

The Play-In Picture Could Get Spicy Fast

The Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors are tied for the sixth and final spot in the East standings with four games left to play. Toronto's home loss to Sacramento is already looking like it could come back to haunt them by next week. And here's the wild card: if the Charlotte Hornets end up in the play-in, they could be dangerous. The Hornets started rough at 16-28, but they have been absolutely surging since January. They beat the Thunder, the Spurs, and the Celtics. LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are healthy and locked in. Rookie phenom Kon Knueppel has been fearless and is a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate. Remember that blowup between Charlotte and Detroit back on February 9? The Hornets definitely do. If Cade Cunningham is not back to full strength when the postseason starts, Charlotte could be a real problem in the first round. And if they face the Celtics? That is going to be appointment television.

The final week of the regular season is about to be chaos. Buckle up.

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