NBA Playoff Picture 2023: Standings, Predictions for Lakers, Warriors and More
It's all coming into focus.
Well, sort of.
There are only two days remaining in the 2022-23 NBA regular season after the completion of Friday's slate, and the playoff picture is set in the Eastern Conference. Yet the bottom half of the Western Conference picture is still very much hanging in the balance as teams such as the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers battle for positioning.
Here is a look at the standings with just Saturday and Sunday remaining before the play-in tournament and postseason:
Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee Bucks, 58-23
2. Boston Celtics, 56-25
3. Philadelphia 76ers, 53-28
4. Cleveland Cavaliers, 51-30
5. New York Knicks, 47-34
6. Brooklyn Nets, 45-36
7. Miami Heat, 43-38
8. Atlanta Hawks, 41-40
9. Toronto Raptors, 40-41
10. Chicago Bulls, 39-42
Western Conference
1. Denver Nuggets, 52-28
2. Memphis Grizzlies, 51-30
3. Sacramento Kings, 48-33
4. Phoenix Suns, 45-36
5. Golden State Warriors, 43-38
6. Los Angeles Clippers, 42-38
7. Los Angeles Lakers, 42-39
8. New Orleans Pelicans, 42-39
9. Minnesota Timberwolves, 40-40
10. Oklahoma City Thunder, 39-42
Perhaps no race is more important in these final two days of the regular season than the one between the Lakers, Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers in the bottom half of the Western Conference playoff picture.
Because the prediction here is any of those teams will win in the first round if they land the No. 6 seed.
That's not to take anything away from the third-seeded Sacramento Kings. After all, they are one of the best stories in the NBA and are headed to the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season. They will be anything but a pushover, especially with home-court advantage.
However, the alternatives for teams like the Lakers, Warriors and Clippers could be facing Ja Morant and the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies as the No. 7 seed or the loaded Phoenix Suns with Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton as the No. 5 seed. Anything less than a title for a healthy Phoenix team would likely be seen as a disappointment.
A date with the Lakers, Clippers or Warriors would almost seem unfair for the Kings after such an impressive regular season.
The Purple and Gold are a different team since the Feb. 9 trade deadline thanks to the addition of players like D'Angelo Russell, and a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis form one of the best one-two combinations in the league.
The Clippers have developed their depth with Paul George sidelined, and few players in the league can match Kawhi Leonard's star power in the playoffs. As for the Warriors, they are the reigning champions with a core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green that has done nothing but perform at the highest postseason level on the way to four rings.
As for the Eastern Conference, the thought here is the Cleveland Cavaliers will defeat the New York Knicks in a hotly contested first-round series.
While Julius Randle is a question mark because of an ankle injury, much of that prediction comes down to the Donovan Mitchell factor for Cleveland.
The four-time All-Star has averaged 28.3 points per game in the postseason throughout his career. He brings a star power that the Knicks can't counter, and many playoff games are decided by which individual star makes the biggest plays in crunch time.
He might also have another motivating factor on his side with the chance to show New York what it is missing. After all, it seemed inevitable at times this offseason that the Utah Jazz would trade him to the Knicks, and he even told reporters he thought it was happening and was excited about the prospect.
Yet New York didn't complete the deal, and now it will have to deal with him in the first round.
Madison Square Garden is going to be electric, but it won't be enough to counter Mitchell.
