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Brace yourselves, basketball fans. The 2021 NBA playoffs are almost here.
There is an added level of intrigue this year with the league implementing a new version of the play-in tournament, which was first seen inside the Florida “bubble” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of the traditional eight-team fields in each conference, a total of 20 teams will participate in the postseason.
MORE: Latest standings | Daily NBA schedule
With multiple contenders battling for playoff positioning, the final stretch of the regular season should provide plenty of entertainment.
Here’s a snapshot of the current NBA playoff picture, including standings and potential matchups for each conference.
NBA standings 2021: Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 1. | Nets* | 42-20 | — |
| 2. | 76ers | 40-21 | 1.5 |
| 3. | Bucks | 38-23 | 3.5 |
| 4. | Knicks | 34-28 | 8 |
| 5. | Hawks | 34-28 | 8 |
| 6. | Celtics | 32-30 | 10 |
| 7. | Heat | 32-30 | 10 |
| 8. | Hornets | 30-31 | 11.5 |
| 9. | Pacers | 29-32 | 12.5 |
| 10. | Wizards | 27-34 | 14.5 |
| — | Bulls | 26-35 | 15.5 |
| — | Raptors | 26-36 | 16 |
| — | Cavaliers | 21-40 | 20.5 |
| — | Pistons | 19-43 | 23 |
| — | Magic | 18-43 | 23.5 |
*clinched playoff berth
NBA standings 2021: Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 1. | Jazz* | 44-17 | — |
| 2. | Suns | 43-18 | 1 |
| 3. | Clippers | 43-20 | 2 |
| 4. | Nuggets | 40-21 | 4 |
| 5. | Lakers | 36-25 | 8 |
| 6. | Mavericks | 34-27 | 10 |
| 7. | Trail Blazers | 33-28 | 11 |
| 8. | Grizzlies | 31-29 | 12.5 |
| 9. | Spurs | 31-29 | 12.5 |
| 10. | Warriors | 31-31 | 13.5 |
| — | Pelicans | 27-34 | 17 |
| — | Kings | 25-36 | 19 |
| — | Thunder | 21-41 | 23.5 |
| — | |||
| — |
*clinched playoff berth
Eliminated from playoff contention: Rockets, Timberwolves
How does the NBA play-in tournament work?
- The play-in tournament will be held after the conclusion of the 2020-21 regular season and before the start of the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs. The teams that finish Nos. 1-6 in the standings of each conference will be guaranteed playoff spots, and teams Nos. 7-10 will enter the play-in tournament.
- The No. 7 team will face the No. 8 team, and the winner will earn the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The loser will still have one more opportunity to reach the playoffs.
- The No. 9 team will face the No. 10 team, and the winner will advance to play against the loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game. The loser of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game will be eliminated from playoff contention.
- The loser from the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game and the winner from the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game will then play against each other. The winner of that game will be the No. 8 seed in the playoffs, and the loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
NBA playoff picture: Seeding breakdowns
(Remaining strength of schedule via Tankathon and playoff probability via FiveThirtyEight)
Eastern Conference
1. Nets
Remaining games: 10
Remaining strength of schedule: .519
Playoff probability: In
2. 76ers
Remaining games: 11
Remaining strength of schedule: .419
Playoff probability: 99 percent
3. Bucks
Remaining games: 11
Remaining strength of schedule: .449
Playoff probability: 99 percent
4. Knicks
Remaining games: 10
Remaining strength of schedule: .534
Playoff probability: 88 percent
5. Hawks
Remaining games: 10
Remaining strength of schedule: .488
Playoff probability: 99 percent
6. Celtics
Remaining games: 10
Remaining strength of schedule: .450
Playoff probability: 96 percent
7. Heat
Remaining games: 10
Remaining strength of schedule: .482
Playoff probability: 93 percent
8. Hornets
Remaining games: 11
Remaining strength of schedule: .468
Playoff probability: 57 percent
9. Pacers
Remaining games: 11
Remaining strength of schedule: .499
Playoff probability: 43 percent
10. Wizards
Remaining games: 11
Remaining strength of schedule: .493
Playoff probability: 8 percent
Western Conference
1. Jazz
Remaining games: 11
Remaining strength of schedule: .477
Playoff probability: In
2. Suns
Remaining games: 11
Remaining strength of schedule: .532
Playoff probability: 99 percent
3. Clippers
Remaining games: 9
Remaining strength of schedule: .489
Playoff probability: 99 percent
4. Nuggets
Remaining games: 11
Remaining strength of schedule: .520
Playoff probability: 99 percent
5. Lakers
Remaining games: 11
Remaining strength of schedule: .506
Playoff probability: 99 percent
6. Mavericks
Remaining games: 11
Remaining strength of schedule: .429
Playoff probability: 97 percent
7. Trail Blazers
Remaining games: 11
Remaining strength of schedule: .548
Playoff probability: 81 percent
8. Grizzlies
Remaining games: 12
Remaining strength of schedule: .419
Playoff probability: 63 percent
9. Spurs
Remaining games: 12
Remaining strength of schedule: .611
Playoff probability: 17 percent
10. Warriors
Remaining games: 10
Remaining strength of schedule: .448
Playoff probability: 38 percent
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