NBA Standings Watch

jmcc5400

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Forcing the Lakers into the lottery is the only way NO gets the Lakers pick. If it’s 11 or higher, it goes to Memphis
 

HomeRunBaker

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If NO finishes higher than LAL they also get their first rounder I believe.
LeBron said in the post-game presser that his ankle was “sore and nasty” after landing on someone’s foot. Spoke about how he doesn’t know how he finished the game and now he’s hopping on a plane so that’s no help for other.

Sounds like he’s setting up to bail.
 

Swedgin

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LeBron said in the post-game presser that his ankle was “sore and nasty” after landing on someone’s foot. Spoke about how he doesn’t know how he finished the game and now he’s hopping on a plane so that’s no help for other.

Sounds like he’s setting up to bail.
Spurs next four includes 2 against Portland at home and Houston on the road.

Whereas the Lakers have road games against Dallas and Utah, followed by a rematch against the Pels and then Denver at home.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Spurs next four includes 2 against Portland at home and Houston on the road.

Whereas the Lakers have road games against Dallas and Utah, followed by a rematch against the Pels and then Denver at home.
Lakers are as finished as someone can be unoffically finished.
 

ifmanis5

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Skip Bayless had a good night.
View: https://twitter.com/RealSkipBayless/status/1508253653492068355

UN. REAL. LEBRON WENT COLD, COULDN'T CLOSE AND THE FAKERS BLEW A 20-POINT HALFTIME LEAD AND GOT OUTSCORED IN THE 2ND HALF 67-39!!! LESHANNON SHARPE JUST LOST TWO MORE CASES OF DEW TO ME. WILL HE EVEN SHOW UP FOR TOMORROW'S UNDISPUTED???
Don't look now, but the Fakers are only one game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the final spot in the Play-In. 3 of the Spurs' next 4: at Houston and two home games vs Portland. #StriveForGreatness
Here we go again: LeBron just said the ankle he turned is "horrible" ... but that he doesn't anticipate missing games. Wait, he hopped right up & kept making 3s (after a 1st air ball). Did he look limpy? No. Seem to be protecting or favoring his ankle? No. Excuses, excuses.
 

azsoxpatsfan

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Celtics moved into first after 75 games. That’s the latest any team has ever moved into first place for the first time in a season
 

TripleOT

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Spurs next four includes 2 against Portland at home and Houston on the road.

Whereas the Lakers have road games against Dallas and Utah, followed by a rematch against the Pels and then Denver at home.
The Lakers and Spurs split their four games this season, and the Spurs hold the next tiebreaker, conference record, having four more WC wins. Six of the Lakers’ remaining opponents are playoff teams playing for seeding, and the Suns, with only OKC as a possible gimme. We might be seeing LeBron miss the playoffs again with the Lakers.
 

nighthob

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For hilarity’s sake it would be fitting if the Pelicans knocked the Lakers out of the playoffs for good and then won a top four pick as their reward. They do need G depth and there are some decent ones to be had this year.
 

BaseballJones

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By the way, I was looking through the NBA standings on ESPN.com just now, and I realized that they still have divisions in the NBA. Why? Seedings aren't predicated on winning a division. Are schedules impacted by divisions? What's the point of divisions if everything is really going to be conference-based?
 

bosockboy

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By the way, I was looking through the NBA standings on ESPN.com just now, and I realized that they still have divisions in the NBA. Why? Seedings aren't predicated on winning a division. Are schedules impacted by divisions? What's the point of divisions if everything is really going to be conference-based?
Exact thought last night. They are completely useless.
 

lexrageorge

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By the way, I was looking through the NBA standings on ESPN.com just now, and I realized that they still have divisions in the NBA. Why? Seedings aren't predicated on winning a division. Are schedules impacted by divisions? What's the point of divisions if everything is really going to be conference-based?
Tiebreakers. Divisional record is used as a tiebreaker for teams within a division. And division winners get an edge on the tiebreaker as well.

Teams have 4 games against divisional opponents, and then 3 or 4 against the rest of the conference.

It's not a big deal, and there needs to be some way to break ties, and no system will be perfect for doing so.
 

BaseballJones

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Tiebreakers. Divisional record is used as a tiebreaker for teams within a division. And division winners get an edge on the tiebreaker as well.

Teams have 4 games against divisional opponents, and then 3 or 4 against the rest of the conference.

It's not a big deal, and there needs to be some way to break ties, and no system will be perfect for doing so.
Ok so at least there's SOME reason to have divisions. Thanks for clearing that up.
 

88 MVP

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Exact thought last night. They are completely useless.
The other main purpose is really just for scheduling and travel. Teams play their own division opponents 4x. Non-division conference opponents are 4x or 3x (on a rotation) and out-of-conference teams are 2x.
 

Cesar Crespo

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do division winners get an automatic playoff birth/play in game?

I can't see a division winner finishing below the 10 seed anyway so I guess it doesn't matter.
 

Cellar-Door

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do division winners get an automatic playoff birth/play in game?

I can't see a division winner finishing below the 10 seed anyway so I guess it doesn't matter.
nope not anymore. So if hypothetically the worst 5 records in a conference were all 5 teams from a division, they all would be out.
Seems nearly impossible though
 

bostonbeerbelly

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I apologize if this isn't the correct space, but I am trying my best to guess the Celtics playoff schedule.

My assumption is that they will have home court advantage in the first round. So Game 1 and Game 2 are what I am interested in potential dates of.

Play in games appear to be scheduled for April 12-15th? So does that mean G1 for the Celtics could be Saturday April 16th with G2 Monday the 18th?

Looking to get a suite for my company (price isn't bad at all) and would prefer it to be a weeknight.

Thanks in advance.
 

DGreenwood

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I apologize if this isn't the correct space, but I am trying my best to guess the Celtics playoff schedule.

My assumption is that they will have home court advantage in the first round. So Game 1 and Game 2 are what I am interested in potential dates of.

Play in games appear to be scheduled for April 12-15th? So does that mean G1 for the Celtics could be Saturday April 16th with G2 Monday the 18th?

Looking to get a suite for my company (price isn't bad at all) and would prefer it to be a weeknight.

Thanks in advance.
Game 1 and 2 could be Saturday and Monday as you indicate or it could be Saturday/Tuesday, Sunday/Tuesday, or Sunday/Wednesday.

Here's a schedule of how they did it last year. That's the same way they did it in 2019 as well. I think the networks have a say in which games they want to show on which days/times so none of that will be decided until the seeds are locked in (or at least the 1-6 seeds).
 

bostonbeerbelly

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Game 1 and 2 could be Saturday and Monday as you indicate or it could be Saturday/Tuesday, Sunday/Tuesday, or Sunday/Wednesday.

Here's a schedule of how they did it last year. I think the networks have a say in which games they want to show on which days/times so none of that will be decided until the seeds are locked in (or at least the 1-6 seeds).
Thank you very much, so it seems almost guaranteed that G2 would be a weeknight Monday-Wednesday April 18th-20th. The only possibility is if they finish in the 5 seed, which I don't see happening. Time to book the suite.
 

DGreenwood

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Exactly. There's no way game 2 will be on Sunday. So if they have home court, game 2 will be Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.
 

Ale Xander

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Thank you very much, so it seems almost guaranteed that G2 would be a weeknight Monday-Wednesday April 18th-20th. The only possibility is if they finish in the 5 seed, which I don't see happening. Time to book the suite.
Just remember that Monday is a weekend due to Patriot's Day. I think they choose Tuesday for this reason (availability of security/police).

It's also school vacation week IIRC.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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CHI managed to hang on against CLE over the weekend but with a bad loss against NYK. CHI and TOR have identical records; CLE one game back. Looks pretty clear that TOR will be the 5 seed. Given CHI's schedule after the game tonight at WAS, I think they'll definitely be in the play-in tournament, and can they beat ATL/CHA to stay in the playoffs? Would be amazing if they didn't make the playoffs after spending so much time as the 1 seed.

BRK would have to be prohibitive favorite over CHI or CLE so pencil them in for the 7 seed. Now, let's hope the Basketball Gods have a sense of humor and give everyone the 1st round series we all want to see.
 

Just a bit outside

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CHI managed to hang on against CLE over the weekend but with a bad loss against NYK. CHI and TOR have identical records; CLE one game back. Looks pretty clear that TOR will be the 5 seed. Given CHI's schedule after the game tonight at WAS, I think they'll definitely be in the play-in tournament, and can they beat ATL/CHA to stay in the playoffs? Would be amazing if they didn't make the playoffs after spending so much time as the 1 seed.

BRK would have to be prohibitive favorite over CHI or CLE so pencil them in for the 7 seed. Now, let's hope the Basketball Gods have a sense of humor and give everyone the 1st round series we all want to see.
Cavs have been decimated by injury with Mobley spraining his ankle last night. I think the Bulls will squeak by and hold onto the 6th seed.
 

Jakarta

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I think the Bucks have the hardest remaining schedule - at Brooklyn, home vs LAC on a b2b where I expect some of the starters to rest, home against a hot mavericks team, at Chicago who will be playing to stay out of the play-in, then a home game against Boston as the first of a b2b2b(!). I think they are also the 1 team who cares the least about home court and specific matchups. Would not surprise me to see them drop several games down the stretch. They probably finish 4-3 at best over those 7.

Philly probably has the easiest schedule as they have 2 games against each of Detroit and Indy but they also have a b2b as well as a b2b2b to end the year. Could easily see them 6-1 or 5-2 but I bet Doc aims for the 3 seed to avoid Brooklyn in round 1.

I think Miami rights the ship after losing to Boston tomorrow. Schedule is favorable with last 3 games against Charlotte, Atlanta, and Orlando. Could see them at 4-2.

The Celtics get Indy and the Wizards after Miami which should all be wins. Then finish the year with 3 road games - Bulls will be playing to stay out of the play-in, who knows what Milwaukee will do but would expect them to play their guys as a last tune up before they sit the last 2 games, and then at Memphis which won’t have anything to play for. 3-3 or 4-2 wouldn’t surprise me.

My guess is:
1. Miami
2. Boston
3. Philly
4. Milwaukee
 

lexrageorge

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Tiebreaker update:

Celtics have clinched 2-way tiebreaker against:
Miami (Head-to-head)
Philly (clinched division record)
Cleveland (Head-to-head)
Brooklyn (H2H)
Charlotte (H2H)

Hold slight edge against:
Milwaukee (1 game conference record lead and lead H2H 2-1 with 1 remaining, although the Bucks have a better shot of winning their division)

Slightly behind:
Toronto (Finished 2-2 H2H, so division record is next. Given that Toronto is 3 games behind the Celtics in the standings, it's likely they would finish with a better division record than the Celtics 9-7, as Toronto is 9-5 w/ 2 games remaining).

TBD:
Bulls (1-1 with one deciding matchup remaining in Chicago)

Miami has clinched their division, and the Bucks are strong favorites to clinch theirs. So a 3-way tie between Miami, Milwaukee, and Boston would disfavor Boston if the Celtics finish behind Philly in the division.

If Miami, Milwaukee and Boston all win their respective divisions, the next tie breaker will be best winning percentage among the 3 teams. Celtics are 4-1 with 2 remaining. Miami is currently 2-4 against the 3 teams w/ 1 remaining against Boston. Milwaukee is 3-4 with 1 remaining against Boston. Advantage Boston. I believe Boston would also win the 4-way tiebreaker if the Sixers are added in, as the Celtics would win the divisional tiebreaker. 3-way scenarios involving Chicago, Cleveland, or Toronto are far less likely.

So the Celtics could still realistically finish anywhere from 1st to 6th. Could still theoretically finish 7th in the event of a complete collapse and an unlikely Cleveland resurgence.
 

the moops

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Celtics have clinched 2-way tiebreaker against:
Miami (Head-to-head)
Philly (clinched division record)
Cleveland (Head-to-head)
Brooklyn (H2H)
Charlotte (H2H)
Having the tiebreaker over CLE, BRK, CHA is irrelevant right? Appreciate the work, just want to make sure I am not missing anything
 

Ed Hillel

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Given Timelord’s prognosis, the clear priority has to be avoiding Brooklyn round one. Resting players and taking the 4 seed might be the best way to go now.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Brooklyn could end up anywhere from 5-10. Trying to avoid them is a fools errand.
I doubt BRK is going to pick up 3.5 games on TOR (don't know who has the tie-breakers but don't think it's going to get that close) so the 5 seed isn't really in play. And if BRK is 7 or 8, I can't see them losing to CHI or CLE.

BRK almost assuredly will be 6 or 7. I wouldn't try to lose games to end up #4 but if the Cs can keep winning and get the 1 seed, they should be able to avoid BRK.

That MIL-BOS game at the end of the season could be like a G-League game.
 

lexrageorge

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Having the tiebreaker over CLE, BRK, CHA is irrelevant right? Appreciate the work, just want to make sure I am not missing anything
For Charlotte and Brooklyn, that is correct. Cleveland could still theoretically catch Boston if they won out and the Celtics lost their remaining 6.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Brooklyn could end up anywhere from 5-10. Trying to avoid them is a fools errand.
That’s a little wide especially after the Bulls win last night and the Raptors ongoing excellence that threw my Nets 6-seed lock for a loop based on the Cavs fade. They could still win out with the Bucks game their greatest challenge. I’d be shocked if they weren’t 6 or 7 at this point.
 
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TroyOLeary

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Jul 22, 2005
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Yeah the Nets aren't catching the Bulls - they'd need to win out and have the Bulls go 1-5 or 0-6 in their last six. Those last six contain 5 home games, and the Bulls have the best home record in the East. I frankly highly doubt they're catching the Raptors either. Even if the Nets win out they'd need the Raptors to go 3-4 or worse (3-4 even won't do it if 2 of those 3 wins come against the Sixers and Knicks). The Raptors have games against Orlando, Houston, and New York still on their schedule.

I think at this point it's more likely the Nets finish 9th than 6th.
 

kazuneko

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Brooklyn could end up anywhere from 5-10. Trying to avoid them is a fools errand.
Maybe I’m missing something but as far as I can tell there is very little chance they don’t end up in the play-in tournament. If/when that happens they either get eliminated in that tournament (which seems extremely unlikely) or they end up one of the two teams to move on. The winner of the tournament ends up the 7th seed and the runner up the 8th.
So, again, unless I’m missing something, they will be either the 8th or 7th seed or out of the playoffs - and there is no mystery to that. Considering they will be the best team -by far- in the play-in tournament I’d say there is a very high probability they win the tournament and end up the 7th seed. So while there might be a 1% chance they get eliminated in the play-in, and a 10% chance they are the runner-up, I don’t think it’s a wild projection to suggest they are probably 80%+ likely to end winning the play-in - ending up the 7 seed.
 
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lovegtm

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Maybe I’m missing something but as far as I can tell there is very little chance they don’t end up in the play-in tournament. If/when that happens they either get eliminated in that tournament (which seems extremely unlikely) or they end up one of the two teams to move on. The winner of the tournament ends up the 7th seed and the runner up the 8th.
So, again, unless I’m missing something, they will be either the 8th or 7th seed or out of the playoffs - and there is no mystery to that. Considering they will be the best team -by far- in the play-in tournament I’d say there is a very high probability they win the tournament and end up the 7th seed. So while there might be a 1% chance they get eliminated in the play-in, and a 10% chance they are the runner-up, I don’t think it’s a wild projection to suggest they are probably 80%+ likely to end winning the play-in - ending up the 7 seed.
That implies they have an 80% chance to win their 7/8 matchup? Seems way too high.
 

benhogan

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Maybe I’m missing something but as far as I can tell there is very little chance they don’t end up in the play-in tournament. If/when that happens they either get eliminated in that tournament (which seems extremely unlikely) or they end up one of the two teams to move on. The winner of the tournament ends up the 7th seed and the runner up the 8th.
So, again, unless I’m missing something, they will be either the 8th or 7th seed or out of the playoffs - and there is no mystery to that. Considering they will be the best team -by far- in the play-in tournament I’d say there is a very high probability they win the tournament and end up the 7th seed. So while there might be a 1% chance they get eliminated in the play-in, and a 10% chance they are the runner-up, I don’t think it’s a wild projection to suggest they are probably 80%+ likely to end winning the play-in - ending up the 7 seed.
Maybe I have it wrong but isn't it:

7 vs 8...The winner is the #7 seed

9 vs 10...The winner plays the loser of the 7 vs 8 game for the #8 seed

if the Nets finish 9th or 10th (they are 1 game and 1.5 games ahead of CHX and ATL) in the standings they have to win 2 play-in games and the highest seed they could be is #8

CHI, TOR, CLEV have separated themselves from the Nets, CHX, ATL
 

Cesar Crespo

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Maybe I have it wrong but isn't it:

7 vs 8...The winner is the #7 seed

9 vs 10...The winner plays the loser of the 7 vs 8 game for the #8 seed

if the Nets finish 9th or 10th (they are 1 game and 1.5 games ahead of CHX and ATL) in the standings they have to win 2 play-in games and the highest seed they could be is #8

Correct.
 

chilidawg

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That’s a little wide especially after the Bulls win last night and the Raptors ongoing excellence that threw my Nets 6-seed lock for a loop based on the Cavs fade. They could still win out with the Bucks game their greatest challenge. I’d be shocked if they weren’t 6 or 7 at this point.
Yeah, 5 and 10 certainly are low probability. But my point remains that trying to engineer your way into a certain slot to avoid the Nets is pretty silly. Ime said as much the other day.
 

the moops

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Yeah, 5 and 10 certainly are low probability. But my point remains that trying to engineer your way into a certain slot to avoid the Nets is pretty silly.
I wouldn't call it silly. There is a very slim chance that the Nets vault up to the 5th or 6th seed. The greatest chance, and I would put it at 90%+, is that they land in the 7-10 range (don't really care where in that range for this exercise).

And once in that 7-10 range they can only finish 7th or 8th.

It is looking like the Celts won't finish in the top two regardless of any maneuvering, so it probably doesn't matter, but I wouldn't be upset if they coast at the finish if they are close to the 1 or 2
 

kazuneko

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It is looking like the Celts won't finish in the top two regardless of any maneuvering, so it probably doesn't matter, but I wouldn't be upset if they coast at the finish if they are close to the 1 or 2
I guess we'll have to see how they adjust to Williams being out, but I don't get this. If they win tonight won't they be the 1 seed with five games remaining? Sure, the last two games of their schedule are tough, but they are the hottest team in basketball, so it hardly seems too unlikely for them to either beat a slumping Miami team at home or hold first place with five games remaining. Ending up in 2nd place (which they probably shouldn't want) is also a definite possibility..
 

Cellar-Door

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yeah, last night was basically the make or break game for the 1, they lost, so you're looking 2-4 likely.
 

HomeRunBaker

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If the Nets continue beating the Sixers here they have a real good chance to win out. The Raptors have a super easy schedule as well and they appear to be a lock for the 5……but where are the Bulls wins coming from? Does anyone know who wins the tiebreaker between Brooklyn and Chicago? They seem to be on a collision course for the 6 with a Nets win tonight.
 

Cellar-Door

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If the Nets continue beating the Sixers here they have a real good chance to win out. The Raptors have a super easy schedule as well and they appear to be a lock for the 5……but where are the Bulls wins coming from? Does anyone know who wins the tiebreaker between Brooklyn and Chicago? They seem to be on a collision course for the 6 with a Nets win tonight.
I'm assuming you meant beat the Bucks, but...
Bulls have the tiebreaker, they won 2 of 3 head to head.

Bulls schedule is rough, best chances are probably.... tonight vs. LAL, getting CHA at home with CHA on SEGABABA, and the season ender against the Wolves who might be resting guys depending on seeding.