10 games before seasons end, presenting to you the perfect season-end standings

[ArbitraryWater]

Currently:






Maximized:

East:

1) Celtics
2) Bucks
3) Cavaliers
4) Knicks
5) Heat (need to leap Magic, 2 games behind, have tiebreaker, other option: 6th and play Knicks as 3-seed)
6) Magic
7) Pacers
8) Sixers

Celtics vs. Sixers - another spicy edition, Bucks vs. Pacers - stacked Bucks vs. team theyre 1-3 against, Cavaliers vs. Magic, Knicks vs. Heat - re-match, poised payoff-team Heat vs. continuing to rise, aspiring Knicks, does it get any better?

West:

1) Nuggets
2) Timberwolves
3) Thunder
4) Clippers
5) Pelicans
6) Mavericks
7) Lakers
8) Kings
9) Suns
10 Warriors

Play-In:

Lakers def. Kings
Warriors def. Suns

Kings vs. Warriors Game For 8th Seed - Re-Match of last years R1 7-Game Series, G7 in Sacramento where Warriors won, does it get any better doe?

Nuggets vs. Kings/Warriors - either Kings having another crack at the post-season or Warriors last run?
Timberwolves vs. Lakers - Re-match of last years play-in where Lakers beat the upstart Wolves on a GW in Staples (idc), this time around the Wolves mean business and are complete and primed for a run, but the Lakers are the Lakers, LeBron is LeBron, and they find themselves in the thick of things again, ready to threaten everyone as always in the post-season.
Thunder vs. Mavericks - OKC is one of the youngest most fastest rising teams ever, seemingly overachieving but keeping pace all year long. Mavs however are a huge threat and their seed underrates them. With Doncic and Kyrie together on court theyve been a menace. Very interesting clash.
Clippers vs. Pelicans - stacked Clips vs. very good Pels team. Winner sees Nuggets (probably), could be the WCSF we didnt get to see last year due to Kawhis injury.

[HylianNightmare]

Yeah I need the magic to avoid the knicke

[ArbitraryWater]

Big game for the Heat to beat the Knicks today.

If they lose, might as well hope Knicks turn up 3rd and Heat can at least still leap Indy, it would be a huge win win and give us 2 marquee first rounds instead of one (Bucks vs. Heat would be big, but deserves more than a R1): Bucks vs. Pacers (1-3 record), Knicks vs. Heat.

Thatd be fitting.

[ArbitraryWater]

Good outcomes except 1:

Lakers win, Cs beat / destroy OKC, Nets beat Pacers, but the ****ing Ingram-less Pelicans fail to beat Orlando at home.

Not looking good for Knicks / Heat as 4th/5th. At this point would need Knicks to somehow make 3rd, because Heat leaping Magic seems very unlikely at this point.


So **** the Pelicans.

These mother****ers might as well drop out now into the play-in.

**** em.

[ArbitraryWater]

Sadly, it seems like the Mavs are pretty penciled in for the 5th seed.


The Pelicans continue to be mediocre without Ingram and have a medium difficult schedule too, Suns have a very tough schedule, and the Mavs schedule is piss easy.

Theyll stay ahead of these 2 teams (and the Kings too), you can book another Clips - Mavs R1.

[ArbitraryWater]

The 6th seed, the desired 6th seed, is completely up for grabs.

Anyone from 6th to 9th could get it.


Kings: 44-31

@ vs. Knicks L
@ Boston L
@ Nets W
@ OKC L
vs Pelicans W
vs Suns W
vs Blazers W

48-34

Pelicans: 45-31

vs. San Antonio W
@ Phoenix L
@ Portand W
@ Sacramento L
@ Golden State L
vs. Lakers L

47-35

Suns: 45-31

50/50 games everywhere. Most unpredictable team here. Play Minny, Pels, Clips – all home, then Clippers away, Kings away, Wolves away. Say 3-3.

48-34

Lakers: 44-33

vs Cavaliers: W
vs. Timberwolves: W
vs Golden State: W
@ Memphis: W
@ NO: W

49-33

With 1 loss more / tied with Kings, Sac has the tiebreaker.

[ArbitraryWater]

Dumbass Heat lose to Sixers at home


Butler had a good look from 3 to win it, then Highsmith clown dribbled it off his feet

[ArbitraryWater]

And Nuggets blow game to Clips...

theyre really not making this easy.

Nuggets should have long gripped the 1st seed.

[ArbitraryWater]

A lot of possibilities still...

in fact, Mavs could leap Clips, switch the 4th and 5th for HC...

Clips got a tougher schedule and sitting Kawhi until the playoffs.


If the damn Nuggets had just beaten the Clips, this would look like a serious, serious possibility. Sadly they screwed up.

[ArbitraryWater]

From 6-9 anything is possible anyway.

[ArbitraryWater]

Clips do pull it out and Mavs lose.

Good move imo.

With a Suns win now over the Pels, Mavs and Suns are tied, Mavs sadly still hold the H2H.


This:





is crazy right now.


Magic paying Bulls, Knicks in Milwaukee in an hour.


Hoping Magic lose to Bulls, Knicks end up 3rd or 4th and could still pay Heat, but for that the Heat need to come back from 17 at halftime in Indiana right now.

[ArbitraryWater]

I spoke too soon.


Jabari Smith misses both FTs and Exum hits a 3 sat the buzzer for the tie.


****ing of course.


This is not good for the Mavs.