📆 April 14, 2025 — One Game Left, Everything at Stake
The final day of the 2024–25 NBA regular season is here, and while the Eastern Conference playoff bracket is locked, the Western Conference is a war zone — with everything from home-court advantage to lottery pick protection still up for grabs.
Let’s break it all down ⬇️
🌪️ Western Conference: Controlled Chaos
✅ Seeds Locked
- 1. OKC Thunder: Best record in the NBA.
➤ A win vs. Pelicans = 68 wins (franchise record) - 2. Houston Rockets: Season’s biggest surprise — locked into 2nd
- 3. LA Lakers: Clinched the 3-seed after Friday’s demolition of Houston
🧩 Seeds 4–10: What’s Left to Play For
4. Denver Nuggets
- ✅ Win vs. Rockets = Lock 4th, home-court in R1
- ❌ Lose = Risk dropping to 5th or even 6th
5. LA Clippers
- 🟢 Win + Nuggets loss = Steal 4th seed
- 🟠 Win + Nuggets win = Face Nuggets in R1
- 🔴 Lose = Could fall to 7th (play-in)
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
- 🟢 Win = Secure top 6
- 🌀 Could climb to 4th if both Clippers & Nuggets lose
7. Golden State Warriors
- 🟢 Win = Still a chance to avoid play-in
- 🔴 Lose = Locked into 7th (home play-in)
8. Memphis Grizzlies
- 🟢 Can reach 7th if Wolves lose
- 🔴 Otherwise: road play-in game at 8th
9. Sacramento Kings
- 🟢 Win vs. Suns = Lock 9th & home play-in
- 🔴 Lose + Dallas win = Drop to 10th
10. Dallas Mavericks
- 🟢 Win + Kings loss = Steal 9th
- 🔴 Lose or Kings win = Road play-in
🧊 Eastern Conference: Set in Stone
No drama here — all 10 seeds are locked:
| Seed | Team |
|---|---|
| 1️⃣ | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2️⃣ | Boston Celtics |
| 3️⃣ | New York Knicks |
| 4️⃣ | Indiana Pacers |
| 5️⃣ | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 6️⃣ | Detroit Pistons |
| 7️⃣ | Orlando Magic |
| 8️⃣ | Atlanta Hawks |
| 9️⃣ | Chicago Bulls |
| 🔟 | Miami Heat |
🔮 NBA Draft Lottery Chaos Incoming
🎲 1st Pick Race: Jazz vs. Wizards
- Both teams at 17–64
- Final day = Could trigger coin flip for No. 1 odds if tied
🧮 Philadelphia 76ers
- Locked into 5th-worst record
- ✅ Keep their top-6 protected pick
- BUT if two or more teams leap them in the lottery…
→ 🚨 Pick transfers to OKC
🔁 Suns vs. Blazers Pick Tiebreaker
- Both teams near the 9/10 spot
- If they finish tied, coin flip decides who moves up
- Houston owns Suns’ pick via the Nets 👀
🔄 Sacramento’s Pick Drama
- 🟢 Win = Likely lose pick to Atlanta
- 🔴 Lose + Hawks/Dallas lose = May retain the pick
- 🤯 Four-team tie? It’s coin flip central to sort out who keeps what
📌 Final Word:
- ✅ East: Calm, complete, and playoff-ready
- 🔁 West: 7 teams still shifting — chaos potential is HIGH
- 🧪 Lottery: A single bounce could change a franchise
🗓️ Sunday = 15 games. 30 teams. Playoff and lottery fate hanging in the balance.
