The biggest question remains whether or not the Lakers will hold on.
There are just two nights of NBA regular season action remaining, and despite the majority of the play-off spots having already been decided, there is still plenty to play for.
Eastern Conference
The picture in the East is almost complete, with the only thing left to be decided being who will finish fifth and sixth.
The Miami Heat have been in incredible form this season, and sealed the No.1 seed in the play-offs, the East and clinched the Southeast Division. With LeBron James and Dwyane Wade being rested in recent games to prepare for the play-offs, they will be looking ahead to potential back-to-back NBA championships.
Following on from Miami are the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers in second and third respectively, while the Brooklyn Nets have sealed their spot in fourth.
The remaining battle is between the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls, with the former a half-game ahead of their rivals. In order for the duo to swap places, the Bulls need to win their final game of the regular season which is against the Washington Wizards and hope the Hawks slip up in one of their final two match-ups.
Atlanta take on the Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks to round off the season, and have their fate in their own hands, although a loss would see them drop down a place having lost the season series against the Bulls 2-1.
The Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks then complete the play-off representatives in the East, finishing seventh and eighth respectively.
Western Conference
The Oklahoma City Thunder have already finished top of the pile in the West, having gone 60-21 so far this season. They are closely followed by the San Antonio Spurs who have led the way for the majority of the campaign, but have fallen in recent weeks as a result of increasing injury woes.
It remains to be seen who follows them in third, with the Denver Nuggets currently occupying that spot. However, the Los Angeles Clippers are still capable of finishing above them, although they must win both their remaining games and hope the Nuggets fail to defeat the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.
Sandwiched in between the two races for play-off seeding are the Memphis Grizzlies, who have clinched fifth place in the Western Conference.
The Golden State Warriors can seal the sixth seed with a win against the Portland Trail Blazers, but if they fall short, that could allow the Houston Rockets to leapfrog them, provided James Harden and friends beat the Los Angeles Lakers.
The most intriguing race though involves the Lakers and the Utah Jazz. The task is simple for a Kobe Bryant-less Lakers team, beat the Houston Rockets and they are in the play-offs. However, should they lose and the Jazz beat Memphis, there will be no post season for Mike D’Antoni’s men.
It all adds up to a fascinating last two nights of action in the NBA, and as the brackets begin to be formulated expect a few twists and turns on Wednesday night and a few anxious faces as the regular season comes to a conclusion.
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