The NBA playoff race has entered the final two games, the Eastern Conference Bulls beat the Pistons by 22 points to lock up ninth, the Hawks locked in 10th, the first playoff game Bulls will face the Hawks at home, the winner and the 7/8 losers for eighth place in the playoffs. The Heat and the Pacers are two wins separating each other, and with a 2-1 deficit in each other's games, the Heat have locked up the play-in spot. The Heat have the last two games at home against the Raptors and still have the hope of finishing eighth to occupy the play-in home advantage, and a win will place seventh in the playoffs, and a loss will be in the battle for eighth with the Hawks and Bulls winners. Last year, the Heat defeated the Bucks, the No. 1 team in the East, and beat the Celtics in the East to enter the Finals, and this year's opponents may still be these two teams.
The Celtics have already locked up the top spot in the league, while the Bucks have secured a top-four finish. The Knicks won the Celtics 118-109, Brunson scored 39 points on 6-of-11 three-pointers, and shot 3+1 with 3 minutes left in the second quarter, the Knicks played 14-0 to open the gap to 16 points, and exploded 21 points in the third quarter, and did not appear in the final quarter. None of the Celtics scored 20+, the Knicks led by 29 points in the first three quarters, and the Celtics nearly reversed the game 38-18 in the final quarter. The Celtics' slow offense is going to be in big trouble if they make the playoffs, and this game is a wake-up call. The Knicks face the Nets and Bulls in their final two games and are expected to continue the battle for second place in the East, while the Bucks falling to third is not a bad thing and may avoid the 76ers and Heat.
The Cavaliers currently have just one win ahead of the Pacers, and the two teams will meet in the penultimate game. If the Cavaliers win the Pacers, they will lock up the top six and not play in the play-in tournament, while the Pacers have the possibility of falling out of the top six and entering the play-in area. And if the Cavaliers lose to the Pacers, the regular season head-to-head record will become 1-3, and the Pacers will overtake the Cavaliers. The two teams faced the Hornets and Hawks in their final game, and it will not be difficult to win, and this battle will determine the final fate. The Cavaliers are indeed average this season, and the Pacers trade to Siakam instead of going up and down, and it will be difficult for both teams to do anything in this year's playoffs.
The Magic currently lead the 76ers by one win, and a win for the 76ers would lock up the top six and retain the possibility of continuing to move up the rankings. However, if the Magic loses to the 76ers, because the Magic faced the 76ers 0-2 in the regular season, the two teams will fall out of the top six, and the 76ers will enter the top six, which will be a world of difference. The Magic played the Bucks in the last game, while the 76ers faced the Nets, and the Magic only won this game before the 76ers would take their fate into their own hands. And the 76ers can lose the play-off home court advantage if they lose, so they have no advantage in facing the Heat. And the 76ers and the Heat play-off game is the last thing the Celtics and Bucks want to see, after all, no one wants to be black eight or black seven.