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Brace yourselves, basketball fans. The 2021 NBA playoffs are almost here.
There is an added level of intrigue this year with the league implementing a new version of the play-in tournament, which was first seen inside the Florida “bubble” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of the traditional eight-team fields in each conference, a total of 20 teams will participate in the postseason.
MORE: Latest standings | Daily NBA schedule
With multiple contenders battling for playoff positioning, the final stretch of the regular season should provide plenty of entertainment.
Here’s a snapshot of the current NBA playoff picture, including the full standings for each conference.
NBA standings 2021: Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 1. | 76ers* | 47-21 | — |
| 2. | Nets* | 44-24 | 3 |
| 3. | Bucks* | 43-25 | 4 |
| 4. | Knicks | 38-30 | 9 |
| 5. | Hawks | 38-31 | 9.5 |
| 6. | Heat | 37-31 | 10 |
| 7. | Celtics | 35-33 | 12 |
| 8. | Hornets | 33-35 | 14 |
| 9. | Pacers | 32-36 | 15 |
| 10. | Wizards | 32-37 | 15.5 |
| — | Bulls | 29-39 | 18 |
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| — |
*clinched playoff berth
Eliminated from playoff contention: Cavaliers, Magic, Pistons, Raptors
NBA standings 2021: Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 1. | Jazz* | 50-19 | — |
| 2. | Suns* | 48-20 | 1.5 |
| 3. | Clippers* | 45-23 | 4.5 |
| 4. | Nuggets* | 44-24 | 5.5 |
| 5. | Mavericks | 40-28 | 9.5 |
| 6. | Trail Blazers | 40-29 | 10 |
| 7. | Lakers | 38-30 | 11.5 |
| 8. | Warriors | 36-33 | 14 |
| 9. | Grizzlies | 35-33 | 14.5 |
| 10. | Spurs | 33-35 | 16.5 |
| — | Pelicans | 31-38 | 19 |
| — | Kings | 30-38 | 19.5 |
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| — | |||
| — |
*clinched playoff berth
Eliminated from playoff contention: Rockets, Thunder, Timberwolves
How does the NBA play-in tournament work?
- The play-in tournament will be held after the conclusion of the 2020-21 regular season and before the start of the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs. The teams that finish Nos. 1-6 in the standings of each conference will be guaranteed playoff spots, and teams Nos. 7-10 will enter the play-in tournament.
- The No. 7 team will face the No. 8 team, and the winner will earn the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The loser will still have one more opportunity to reach the playoffs.
- The No. 9 team will face the No. 10 team, and the winner will advance to play against the loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game. The loser of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game will be eliminated from playoff contention.
- The loser from the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game and the winner from the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game will then play against each other. The winner of that game will be the No. 8 seed in the playoffs, and the loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
NBA playoff picture: Seeding breakdowns
(Remaining strength of schedule via Tankathon and playoff probability via FiveThirtyEight)
Eastern Conference
1. 76ers
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .408
Playoff probability: In
2. Nets
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .410
Playoff probability: In
3. Bucks
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .438
Playoff probability: In
4. Knicks
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .511
Playoff probability: 99 percent
5. Hawks
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .335
Playoff probability: 99 percent
6. Heat
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .531
Playoff probability: 99 percent
7. Celtics
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .429
Playoff probability: 96 percent
8. Hornets
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .582
Playoff probability: 51 percent
9. Pacers
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .570
Playoff probability: 24 percent
10. Wizards
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .447
Playoff probability: 30 percent
Western Conference
1. Jazz
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .442
Playoff probability: In
2. Suns
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .518
Playoff probability: In
3. Clippers
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .354
Playoff probability: In
4. Nuggets
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .416
Playoff probability: In
5. Mavericks
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .418
Playoff probability: 99 percent
6. Trail Blazers
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .693
Playoff probability: 98 percent
7. Lakers
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .427
Playoff probability: 97 percent
8. Warriors
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .556
Playoff probability: 63 percent
9. Grizzlies
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .498
Playoff probability: 34 percent
10. Spurs
Remaining games: 4
Remaining strength of schedule: .654
Playoff probability: 8 percent
