The 2013-2014 NBA regular season is coming down the final stretch and while multiple teams have already sealed their place in the playoffs, other squads still have plenty of work to do in order to secure one of the eight seeds available in both the Eastern and Western Conferences. Due to consistent play from the very start of the season, the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and two-time defending champion Miami Heat have already clinched postseason berths in the East while San Antonio, Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Clippers wrapped up playoff slots of their own out West.
While only two of the eight postseason seeds in the Eastern Conference remain open, positioning in the West will certainly be something to keep an eye on throughout the final two weeks of the regular season since five places have not yet been determined. The Houston Rockets currently hold the No. 4 seed with the Portland Trail Blazers sitting one game back in fifth place. Golden State -- at least for the time being -- is in control of the No. 6 seed with Dallas and Memphis sitting two games back in seventh and eighth respectively.
Though many positions have already been closed, multiple teams on the outside looking in still have time to make up ground, but with the regular season coming to a close on Wednesday, April 16, the clock is ticking. The Atlanta Hawks sit percentage points behind the New York Knicks for the final spot in the East but the Cleveland Cavaliers – who seem to have slipped under the radar in recent time – find themselves just two back of New York. Hoping to hold off both chasers, Knicks All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony says that his Knicks control their own destiny and have the ability to close out their followers.
“It’s funny how things work, that we are in this situation right now having a chance to make the playoffs,” Anthony, who has helped the Knicks win 12 of their last 15, said after New York’s recent win over the Brooklyn Nets. “We control our own destiny. I am going to keep on saying that. We can’t worry about what Atlanta is doing or what anybody else is doing. We got to win basketball games. If we continue playing the way we’ve been playing, we’ll be there at the end of the season.”
In the West, an interesting chase is developing between the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns, with each team still very much in play for postseason seeds 6 through 8. Following a 102-88 loss to Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis head coach Dave Joerger says his team needs to overcome the late-season fatigue as they continue to fight for playoff positioning.
“We were just kind of running in mud the whole night," Joerger said after his team’s most recent defeat. “You're going to have games like that, where you're very heavy-legged. We've been playing with a playoff focus. Each game has meant so much since like Christmas. You're starting to see the effects of it now.”
CURRENT NBA PLAYOFF MATCH-UPS (As of April 3, 2014)
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Miami Heat vs. No. 8 New York Knicks
No. 2 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 7 Charlotte Bobcats
No. 3. Toronto Raptors vs. No. 6 Washington Wizards
No. 4 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 5 Brooklyn Nets
Western Conference
No. 1 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies
No. 2 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks
No. 3 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 6 Golden State Warriors
No. 4 Houston Rockets vs. No. 5 Portland Trail Blazers
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