The NBA playoff picture is still undefined and teams like the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder aren't settling for their current spots in the standings. With victories on Thursday, the Bulls and Thunder gained ground on their standing rivals. What does this mean for the conference standings?
The Bulls are trying to get home court advantage. Therefore, battling for the fourth seed means something at least in the first round of the playoffs. If the Nets fall off, the Bulls could take over the fourth seed and then play the Nets in Chicago in front of their crowd. Whether in Brooklyn or in Chicago, the Bulls are confident they can defeat the Nets. Thursday's game was in Barclays Center and the Bulls won 92-90. This is a bonus, especially at the end of the season. The Bulls have won 3-1 from the Nets, so who knows, maybe even without home court advantage they could beat Brooklyn in a best of seven series.
The Thunder didn't let this game get so close. In fact, they jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter scoring 29 points to the San Antonio Spurs' 18. However, by the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Spurs had trimmed the deficit to just six points. The Thunder were able to put away the Spurs in the fourth and now stand just half a game behind them as both teams battle for first place.
As for the Bulls, they are just 1.5 games behind the Nets. The Bulls have eight games remaining in the regular season while the Nets have just seven games to play. As the Nets face easier opponents, it will be interesting to see if they can hold on top the fourth spot as the only place the Nets can move is down since the Indiana Pacers have practically locked up the third seed in the East.
The Thunder have seven games to play and the Spurs have six. However, the Thunder's next four opponents are above .500 and battling for the playoffs. It could be a chance for the Spurs to pull away once and for all.
Check out the current playoff picture as we are just two weeks away from the postseason tipoff. If the playoffs ended today, here are the matchups. Who would your team play in the first round of the playoffs?
EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
Miami Heat (1) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (8)
New York Knicks (2) vs. Boston Celtics (7)
Indiana Pacers (3) vs. Atlanta Hawks (6)
Brooklyn Nets (4) vs. Chicago Bulls (5)
WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
San Antonio Spurs (1) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (8)
Oklahoma City Thunder (2) vs. Houston Rockets (7)
Denver Nuggets (3) vs. Golden State Warriors (6)
Los Angeles Clippers (4) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (5)