With just two games remaining in the regular season, the Lakers, Warriors, Clippers, and Pelicans are still battling for seeding in the Western Conference.
The NBA’s regular season concludes this weekend, but there is still plenty that needs to be settled before then. And with just a couple of games left before the start of the NBA postseason, the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers, and New Orleans Pelicans are still battling for seeding.
As it currently stands, the Clippers are the fifth seed, the Warriors are the sixth seed, the Lakers are the seventh seed, and the Pelicans are the eighth seed. However, there’s still some movement that could take place over the next few days, ahead of the start of the NBA Play-In Tournament.
It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out in the West. You’d have to believe that the sweet spot in the bottom half of the West standings is the sixth or seventh seed. Teams certainly don’t want to have to face the Pheonix Suns in the first round, but whoever finishes as the fifth seed will have to. It’s looking more and more like that will be the Clippers.
The sixth seed is an ideal spot. You don’t have to participate in the Play-In Tournament and you get to face off against an inexperienced Sacramento Kings team in the first round. That seems like the best-case scenario for any team that is looking to pull off a first-round upset.
The seventh seed isn’t a terrible spot to be in either considering the Memphis Grizzlies have had their inconsistencies this season as well. Even though Ja Morant is back and the team seems to be back on track, the Grizzlies are not a team that should scare any of the more veteran-laden teams like the Lakers or Warriors.
And falling to the eighth seed is probably the worst-case scenario. Not only would that mean playing two Play-In Tournament games, but it would also mean a first-round matchup against the Denver Nuggets, who have been the most consistent team in the Western Conference this season.
It’s looking more and more like the standings in the West won’t be completely set until the final day of the regular season, which will only add more intrigue to the next few days.
The NBA Playoffs are nearly here and if they’re anything like the regular season, we could be in for quite the ride.