Basketball - The Friday Flash

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. Phoenix Suns

Phoenix has clinched the No. 1 overall seed.

Current first-round matchup: TBD (play-in results)

2. Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies have clinched the No. 2 seed.

Current first-round matchup: Timberwolves vs. Clippers play-in winner

3. Golden State Warriors

The Warriors remain one game up on No. 4 Dallas in the loss column with two to play. Golden State has clinched a top-four seed.

Projected seed: 3
Current first-round matchup: Nuggets
Tiebreaker vs. No. 4 Mavericks: Dallas has clinched with 3-1 head-to-head advantage

4. Dallas Mavericks

Dallas is one game back of No. 3 Golden State in the loss column with two to play, and Dallas has the tiebreaker. The Mavericks have clinched a top-four seed.

Projected seed: 4
Current first-round matchup: Jazz
Tiebreaker vs. No. 3 Warriors: Dallas has clinched with a 3-1 head-to-head advantage

5. Utah Jazz

The Jazz clinched a top-six seed with their win over Memphis on Tuesday. They are one game up on No. 6 Denver with two to play.

Projected seed: 6
Current first-round matchup: Mavericks
Tiebreaker vs. No. 6 Nuggets: Jazz have clinched with a 4-0 head-to-head advantage

6. Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets clinched a top-six seed with their win over the Grizzlies on Thursday. The Nuggets are one game back of the No. 5 Jazz with two to play, but the Jazz have the tiebreaker.

Projected seed: 5
Current play-in matchup: Warriors
Tiebreaker vs. No. 5 Jazz: Utah has clinched with 4-0 head-to-head advantage

PLAY-IN TEAMS

7. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves are locked into the No. 7 seed.

Play-in matchup: Clippers

8. Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers are locked into the No. 8 seed.

Play-in matchup: Timberwolves

9. New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans lead the No. 10 Spurs by two games with two to play (Spurs have the tiebreaker). New Orleans cannot finish any higher than the No. 9 seed.

Projected seed: 9
Current play-in matchup: Spurs
Tiebreaker vs. No. 10 Spurs: San Antonio has clinched via 3-1 head-to-head advantage

10. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs has clinched a play-in berth. The Spurs can mathematically catch the No. 9 Pelicans, whom they trail by two games with two remaining and the tiebreaker in hand. The Spurs can't finish any higher than the No. 9 seed.

Projected seed: 10
Current play-in matchup: Pelicans
Tiebreaker vs. No. 9 Pelicans: San Antonio has clinched via 3-1 head-to-head advantage
EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Miami Heat

Miami has clinched the No. 1 seed.
Current first-round matchup: TBD (play-in results)
2. Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee beat Boston on Thursday to move into the No. 2 seed, one game up on the No. 3 Celtics in the loss column and one full game up on the No. 4 Sixers. The Bucks have two games remaining.

If the Bucks and the Celtics end up in a tie, the Celtics — assuming they stay ahead of Philadelphia for the Atlantic division crown — will have the edge by a fifth tiebreaker.

This is a bit complicated, so pay attention.

It goes like this: head-to-head is the first tiebreaker, and the Boston-Milwaukee season series is tied 2-2. The next tiebreaker goes to a division winner, but at present, both Boston and Milwaukee would be division winners. So it then goes to the conference record. Boston will finish 33-19 against the East, while the Bucks are currently 32-18 with two Eastern Conference opponents left on their schedule (Detroit and Cleveland). If Milwaukee wins both those games, there won't be a tiebreaker because they'll have a better record than Boston. If Milwaukee splits those two games and Boston beats Memphis, both the Bucks and Celtics would finish with a 33-19 record against the East.
Finally, it would come down to their record against Eastern Conference playoffs teams, and here's where Boston has already clinched with a mark of 20-13 over Milwaukee's 17-15 record, pending its final game against Cleveland.

In case of a three-way tie between Milwaukee, Boston and Philadelphia, which remains a possibility, the tiebreaker criteria is to recognize division winners first, which would remove Philadelphia from the equation as Boston would win the Atlantic division via a better division record. Then it would be down to Milwaukee and Boston as division winners, which sends it back to a straight two-team tiebreaker.

Milwaukee and Boston are tied 2-2 for their season series, they're both division winners, and if this ends up as a tie, it will mean they have identical 33-19 conference records, too. Which takes if to the fourth tiebreaker: record vs. Eastern Conference playoff teams, which Boston has clinched at 20-13 with the best Milwaukee can do being 18-15. And so, that's a long way of saying the Celtics would claim the No. 2 seed in the case of a three-team tie, with Milwaukee ending up No. 3 and Philly No. 4.
Projected seed: 2
Current first-round matchup: Cavaliers vs. Nets play-in winner
Tiebreaker vs. No. 3 Boston: Celtics currently own via conference win percentage (see above for developing scenario)
Tiebreaker vs. No. 4 Philadelphia: Bucks have clinched via 2-1 head-to-head advantage
The Celtics lost to Milwaukee on Thursday and are now one game back of the Bucks in the loss column with one game remaining. If the Bucks and Celtics end up in a two-way tie, kindly scroll up to the Milwaukee section, where the complicated tiebreaker scenario is detailed.

The Celtics are tied in the loss column with the No. 4 Sixers but have clinched the tiebreaker by way of a better Atlantic division record (season series tied 2-2).

In case of a three-way tie between Milwaukee, Boston and Philadelphia, which remains a possibility, the tiebreaker criteria is to recognize division winners first, which would remove Philadelphia from the equation as Boston would win the Atlantic division via a better division record. Then it would be down to Milwaukee and Boston as division winners, which sends it back to a straight two-team tiebreaker.
Milwaukee and Boston are tied 2-2 for their season series, they're both division winners, and if this ends up as a tie, it will mean they have identical 33-19 conference records, too. Which takes if to the fourth tiebreaker: record vs. Eastern Conference playoff teams, which Boston has clinched at 20-13 with the best Milwaukee can do being 18-15. And so, that's a long way of saying the Celtics would claim the No. 2 seed in the case of a three-team tie, with Milwaukee ending up No. 3 and Philly No. 4.
Projected seed: 3
Current first-round matchup: Bulls
Tiebreaker vs. No. 1 Miami: Celtics have clinched via 2-0 head-to-head advantage with one matchup left
Tiebreaker vs. No. 2 Milwaukee: Celtics lead season series 2-1 with one game remaining
4. Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers are tied in the loss column with the No. 3 Celtics and one back of the No. 2 Bucks. The Sixers have to finish 2-0 and the Bucks have to finish 0-2 for Philly to pass Milwaukee (Bucks own tiebreaker).

If Philly ends up tied with Boston, the Celtics have clinched the tiebreaker by way of a better Atlantic division record (season series tied 2-2).
In case of a three-way tie between Milwaukee, Boston and Philadelphia, which remains a possibility, the tiebreaker criteria is to recognize division winners first, which would remove Philadelphia from the equation as Boston would win the Atlantic division via a better division record. Then it would be down to Milwaukee and Boston as division winners, which sends it back to a straight two-team tiebreaker.

Milwaukee and Boston are tied 2-2 for their season series, they're both division winners, and if this ends up as a tie, it will mean they have identical 33-19 conference records, too. Which takes if to the fourth tiebreaker: record vs. Eastern Conference playoff teams, which Boston has clinched at 20-13 with the best Milwaukee can do being 18-15. And so, that's a long way of saying the Celtics would claim the No. 2 seed in the case of a three-team tie, with Milwaukee ending up No. 3 and Philly No. 4.
Projected seed: 4
Current first-round matchup: Raptors
Tiebreaker vs. No. 1 Miami: Miami currently owns via conference record (season series tied 2-2, both teams leading division)
Tiebreaker vs. No. 2 Boston: Boston has clinched via Atlantic division record
Tiebreaker vs. No. 3 Milwaukee: Bucks have clinched via 2-1 head-to-head advantage
Tiebreaker vs. No. 5 Toronto: Raptors lead season series 2-1 with one head-to-head remaining