The final suspense of the NBA is revealed: the Thunder are 1st in the West, the Lakers are 8th, and the Suns are in the playoffs
On April 15, Beijing time, the NBA 2023-24 regular season finale came to an end, the suspense of the East and West rankings was all revealed, the Suns advanced to the playoffs and the first round against the Timberwolves, the Bucks in the first round VS Pacers and Cavaliers VS Magic, and the playoffs were matched to determine four groups; the Lakers locked the 8th and will compete with the Pelicans for the 7th place in the West, and the Lakers may fight the Nuggets in the first round.
The specific rankings of the teams in the West are as follows –
11-15 in the West are the Rockets, Jazz, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers and Spurs
Western Conference Playoffs Matchups –
Clippers vs Mavericks
The playoff matchup between the Clippers and the Mavericks has long been decided, with the Clippers having home-court advantage, which is also the third time in the past five years that the two teams have staged a first-round matchup;
This time, Doncic and Irving led the team back to the playoffs, and the first round battle has the supership of the Big Four with Little Card, George, Harden and Westbrook, who will advance to the next round this time?
Suns vs Timberwolves
On the final day of the regular season, the Suns defeated the Timberwolves away, coupled with the Pelicans' heavy defeat to the Lakers, so the Suns went straight to the playoffs and finally ranked 6th in the West, and the Timberwolves ranked 3rd in the West, so the Suns played the Timberwolves in the first round, and the Timberwolves had the home court advantage.
The two teams have met three times this season, with the Suns sweeping the Timberwolves 3-0
Western Conference play-off matchup
Western Conference play-in matchup - Lakers (8) vs Pelicans (7), Warriors (10) vs Kings (9), they will start the play-offs on April 17, Lakers and Pelicans compete for 7th place in the West, the winner will advance to the playoffs and the defending champion Nuggets in the first round, this year's regular season meeting, the Lakers have a 3-1 record against the Pelicans, they will stay in New Orleans and the Pelicans to fight a life-and-death battle.
The specific rankings of the Eastern teams are as follows –
11-15 in the East are the Nets, Raptors, Hornets, Wizards and Pistons
Eastern Conference Playoffs Matchup -
Knights vs Magic
In the season finale, the Magic defeated the Bucks by 25 points at home, the Cavaliers collectively dumbed fire in the last 3 minutes against the Hornets, and were beaten by the Hornets in the final quarter with a wave of 32-14 super offensive, and finally the Cavaliers lost the game and finally ranked 4th in the East, and the Magic ranked 5th in the East, so the Cavaliers will play the Magic in the first round of the playoffs, and the Cavaliers have a home court advantage.
In the regular season this season, the Cavaliers and Magic have played each other three times, with the Cavaliers having a 2-1 advantage.
Bucks vs Pacers
With the Knicks winning overtime and the Bucks and Cavaliers both losing, the Bucks ended up in third place in the East, while the Pacers beat the Hawks by 42 points at home to lock up sixth place in the East and go straight to the playoffs, with the Pacers and Bucks going head-to-head in the first round.
This season, the Bucks and the Pacers have played each other 4 times, and the Bucks have the upper hand with 1 win and 3 losses.
Eastern Conference play-off matchup
The Eastern Conference play-in matchups are officially announced: 76ers (7) vs. Heat (8) and Bulls (9) vs. Hawks (10), and this season's play-offs will begin on April 17.
The exact schedule of the Eastern Conference play-offs is April 18: Heat vs. 76ers (7 a.m., 76ers home), Hawks vs. Bulls (9:30 a.m., Bulls home)
April 20: Hawks and Bulls winner vs. 76ers vs. eighth loser in the East, 90th winner in the West vs. 78th loser in the West.
The 76ers and Heat are battling the playoffs, with Embiid and Butler battling it out for seventh place in the East, and the winner will be in the first round of the playoffs against the Knicks, both of whom have two chances to advance to the playoffs.