Today is a big day for several reasons.
It’s a little crazy how quickly these last 6 months have flown by.
It was fun as hell.
We still have so much to be determined, even on the final day of the season.
That shit is still wide open
Seeds 5-9 are still up for grabs.
All of these teams play at the same time!
If LAC/GS/NO all lose, the Clippers still finish 5th.
So even if they decide to try and tank this game, that can get tricky quick.
If they lose and the Pelicans lose, but the Warriors win, that means LAC is 6th.
If they lose but NO/GS both win, it means a spot in the Play In.
You take the guaranteed playoff spot and go from there.
Try and win to secure you’re spot and pray Paul George heals quicker.
Golden State Warriors
Also pretty simple for GS.
If they beat the Blazers today, they get 6th.
If they win and LAC loses, they get 5th and a date with PHX.
That would be very, very fun in my opinion.
I think we all should be rooting for that to be honest.
If they and the Clippers both win, that means 6th.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are everyone’s hot pick right now.
If they want to get out of the Play In, they need help.
This is not a control your own destiny situation.
It starts with beating the Jazz and hoping the Warriors lose to the Blazers.
If that doesn’t happen, the Lakers can’t get into the top 6.
That doesn’t matter for the Warriors, but it would then give us an order of LAC/LAL/GS/NO.
This is probably what the Lakers prefer, as it would give them SAC in the first round.
What could go wrong there?
If they lose that game, welcome to the 9/10 Play In.
That’s a pretty big swing all things considered.
From a guaranteed spot to a lose and you’re out scenario is quite the spectrum.
The Pelicans had such a weird season.
Who is this team really?
Could they be a sleeping giant/upset candidate?
Today will certainly help answer those questions.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Year after year it always seems like the Wolves entire season comes down to Game 82.
That has to be pretty stressful for that fanbase.
Today’s game against the Pelicans is basically all for a top 8 seed, but it’s tricky.
If the Wolves and Lakers both win, that means MIN stays in 8th at best.
If they lose, they play OKC.
You forget they are adding Chet Holmgren to this lineup and then whatever happens in the Draft.
They are crushing this rebuild and now the results are starting to come.
Everyone get all that?
The point is, we are in store for a wild Sunday of basketball.
Given how crazy the 2022-23 regular season has been, I can’t think of a better ending.
Let’s get nuts.
