Viewer's guide to Eastern Conference playoff race: Raptors, Celtics, Cavs seeds taking shape
The Eastern Conference is by no means as messy as the West, but there's still plenty to be settled with just two days of the regular season left.
With that in mind, here's your viewer's guide to the East playoff race.
Editor's note: This file will be updated daily to reflect changes in the playoff race. Three-way tiebreaker scenarios are not taken into consideration.
Toronto (59-22), 1st
Games remaining: at Miami on Wednesday
Outlook: With Friday's resounding win over Indiana, the Raptors clinched the top seed in the East. Now it's just a question of who they'll meet in the first round.
Boston (54-26), 2nd
Games remaining: at Washington on Tuesday; vs. Brooklyn on Wednesday
Outlook: After news that Kyrie Irving is out for the remainder of the season, Boston's biggest priority needs to be getting healthy. They could be in for a fight in the first round.
Philadelphia (50-30), 3rd
Games remaining: at Atlanta on Tuesday; vs. Milwaukee on Wednesday
Outlook: The Sixers will be mentioned as “The Team Nobody Wants to Play in the Playoffs.” They are on a 14-game winning streak, and their huge victory over Cleveland on Friday night shook up the East's standings. On Sunday, they clinched homecourt advantage for the first round. There's still no timetable for Joel Embiid's return.
Tiebreaker: The 76ers do not have the tiebreaker over Cleveland.
Cleveland (50-31), 4th
Games remaining: vs. New York on Wednesday
Outlook: Despite an incredible triple-double on Friday night in Philadelphia from LeBron James, the Cavs fell victim to The Process and thus perhaps lost the No. 3 seed.
Tiebreaker: The Cavs do not have the tiebreaker over Indiana but do have it over Philadelphia.
More NBA
- Viewer's guide to NBA's wild Western Conference playoff race
- LeBron, Uninterrupted issue letter to Alabama football over copyright concerns
- Timberwolves All-Star Jimmy Butler ramps up activity, nearing return
Indiana (48-33), 5th
Games remaining: vs. Charlotte on Tuesday
Outlook: The Pacers may be the most overlooked team in the NBA heading into the postseason. What they've been able to accomplish, in the face of lowly projections following a franchise change in direction, has been nothing short of incredible. Their 20-point win over Golden State wasn't a fluke.
Tiebreaker: Indiana has the tiebreaker over the Cavs.
Milwaukee (44-37), 6th
Games remaining: at Philadelphia on Wednesday
Outlook: The Bucks are another team plagued by inconsistency, especially on defense, which hasn’t taken shape as expected. Injuries haven’t helped either, but Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Jabari Parker create enough offense to give opponents problems.
Tiebreaker: Milwaukee doesn't own the tiebreaker over Miami or Washington.
Miami (43-38), 7th
Games remaining: vs. Toronto on Wednesday
Outlook: Miami has been relying on defense but it needs to avoid overtime. The Heat have lost five of six overtimes games since the All-Star break. Friday's loss at New York was an awful one, but one has to wonder whether the Heat are trying to get the No. 7 seed to match up with a depleted Boston team.
Tiebreaker: Miami owns the tiebreaker over Milwaukee and Washington.
Washington (42-38), 8th
Games remaining: vs. Boston on Tuesday; at Orlando on Wednesday
Outlook: John Wall’s return should give the Wizards a needed boost, but they're 2-8 in their last 10 games and have serious trust issues, as coach Scott Brooks alluded to after Friday's loss to Atlanta.
Tiebreaker: Washington owns the tiebreaker over Milwaukee but doesn’t have it over Miami.
Follow Paste BN Sports' Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter.