The NBA’s Play in Tournament to determine the 7th and 8th seeds is a month away. There will be 3 games played in each conference which will see the 7th seed vs the 8th seed. Also the 9th seed vs the 10th seed. The winner of the 7 vs 8 game becomes the 7th seed in the playoffs. The loser from the 7 vs 8 matchup will play the winner of the 9 and 10 matchup to determine the 8th seed of the playoffs. As you can see it is worth trying to get the 7 or 8 seed so you give yourself 2 chances at being officially in the playoffs.
The Western Conference is more of a 2 team race between the San Antonio Spurs who are in the 10 spot and 2 games up on the New Orleans Pelicans. The Spurs should be able to hold on to this spot due to their experience and the fact that 4 of their next 8 are winnable games including a matchup with the Pelicans which can help in a tiebreaker situation if needed. The Pelicans are still a upcoming team who are terrible defensive team ranking 27th in defensive rating. Until the Pelicans mature and show effort on defense they will never take that next step most people are hoping for.
The current Eastern Conference Standings has 3 teams vying for the 10 seed and all are tied in the lose column with the Toronto Raptors in the 10th spot. The Chicago Bulls in the 11th spot but they will be without All-Star Zach Lavine for minimum 6 games; this is due to the league’s health and safety protocol. The Bulls are currently on 5 game losing streak ,and 6 of their 8 games to finish April are against playoff teams.
The Washington Wizards will benefit most from the Bulls misfortune and move up the standings . The Wizards who I believe will ultimately get in the tournament, are on a 3 game winning streak. They also have the best duo of any Eastern Conference team fighting to get into the Play in Tournament. When the Wizards get in and secure a playoff spot don’t be surprise if they take a top seed to 6 games.
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