Brace yourselves, basketball fans. The 2020 NBA playoffs are almost here.
Heading down the final stretch of the regular season, there isn't much mystery about which teams will reach the postseason. Barring a major losing streak by the Nets or Magic, the Eastern Conference has its eight participants in place. The top seven teams in the Western Conference should all earn playoff berths soon, but the race for the last spot could come down to a few key games in late March and early April.
MORE: Latest standings | Daily NBA schedule
There should still be a bit of drama with the seedings in flux and contenders fighting for playoff position. A good matchup could be the difference between cruising through the first round or facing elimination sooner than expected.
Here's a snapshot of the current NBA playoff picture, including standings and potential matchups for each conference.
NBA standings 2020: Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 1. | Bucks* | 53-12 | — |
| 2. | Raptors* | 46-18 | 6.5 |
| 3. | Celtics* | 43-21 | 9.5 |
| 4. | Heat | 41-24 | 12 |
| 5. | Pacers | 39-26 | 14 |
| 6. | 76ers | 39-26 | 14 |
| 7. | Nets | 30-34 | 22.5 |
| 8. | Magic | 30-35 | 23 |
| — | Wizards | 24-40 | 28.5 |
| — | Hornets | 23-42 | 30 |
| — | Bulls | 22-43 | 31 |
| — | Knicks | 21-45 | 32.5 |
| — | Pistons | 20-46 | 33.5 |
| — | Hawks | 20-47 | 34 |
| — | Cavaliers | 19-46 | 34 |
*clinched playoff berth
NBA standings 2020: Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 1. | Lakers* | 49-14 | — |
| 2. | Clippers | 44-20 | 5.5 |
| 3. | Nuggets | 43-22 | 7 |
| 4. | Jazz | 41-23 | 8.5 |
| 5. | Thunder | 40-24 | 9.5 |
| 6. | Rockets | 40-24 | 9.5 |
| 7. | Mavericks | 40-27 | 11 |
| 8. | Grizzlies | 32-33 | 18 |
| — | Trail Blazers | 29-37 | 21.5 |
| — | Pelicans | 28-36 | 21.5 |
| — | Kings | 28-36 | 21.5 |
| — | Spurs | 27-36 | 22 |
| — | Suns | 26-39 | 24 |
| — | Timberwolves | 19-45 | 30.5 |
*clinched playoff berth
Eliminated from playoff contention: Warriors
(Note: Full NBA rules for tiebreakers can be found HERE.)
NBA playoff matchups 2020
Here's what the NBA's first-round playoff matchups would be if the regular season ended today.
Eastern Conference
(1) Bucks vs. (8) Magic
(2) Raptors vs. (7) Nets
(3) Celtics vs. (6) 76ers
(4) Heat vs. (5) Pacers
Western Conference
(1) Lakers vs. (8) Grizzlies
(2) Clippers vs. (7) Mavericks
(3) Nuggets vs. (6) Rockets
(4) Jazz vs. (5) Thunder
NBA playoff picture: Seeding breakdowns
(Remaining strength of schedule via Tankathon and playoff probability via FiveThirtyEight)
Eastern Conference
1. Bucks
Remaining games: 17
Remaining strength of schedule: .502
Playoff probability: In
2. Raptors
Remaining games: 18
Remaining strength of schedule: .512
Playoff probability: In
3. Celtics
Remaining games: 18
Remaining strength of schedule: .494
Playoff probability: In
4. Heat
Remaining games: 18
Remaining strength of schedule: .484
Playoff probability: 99 percent
5. Pacers
Remaining games: 17
Remaining strength of schedule: .503
Playoff probability: 99 percent
6. 76ers
Remaining games: 18
Remaining strength of schedule: .450
Playoff probability: 99 percent
7. Nets
Remaining games: 18
Remaining strength of schedule: .507
Playoff probability: 98 percent
8. Magic
Remaining games: 17
Remaining strength of schedule: .467
Playoff probability: 99 percent
Still in play: Wizards (two percent)
Western Conference
1. Lakers
Remaining games: 19
Remaining strength of schedule: .471
Playoff probability: In
2. Clippers
Remaining games: 18
Remaining strength of schedule: .465
Playoff probability: 99 percent
3. Nuggets
Remaining games: 18
Remaining strength of schedule: .537
Playoff probability: 99 percent
4. Jazz
Remaining games: 18
Remaining strength of schedule: .515
Playoff probability: 99 percent
5. Thunder
Remaining games: 18
Remaining strength of schedule: .501
Playoff probability: 99 percent
6. Rockets
Remaining games: 18
Remaining strength of schedule: .492
Playoff probability: 99 percent
7. Mavericks
Remaining games: 16
Remaining strength of schedule: .537
Playoff probability: 99 percent
8. Grizzlies
Remaining games: 17
Remaining strength of schedule: .575
Playoff probability: 15 percent
Still in play: Pelicans (60 percent), Trail Blazers (14 percent), Kings (nine percent), Spurs (two percent)
