As the NBA playoffs approach, we take a look at how the NBA playoff picture is shaping up. Which spots are up for grabs? Which critical seeding races remain?
NBA Playoff Picture 2011: Wild West Back Again
The Mavericks and Lakers are locked in a dogfight for the No. 2 seed, with L.A. taking the latest skirmish on Saturday. But the season series doesn’t actually matter here; if the Lakers and Mavericks are tied at season’s end, L.A. will win the tiebreaker owing to its Pacific Division title. The Mavericks are in the same division as the Spurs, meaning that even if Dallas takes the season series against the Lakers, if the teams have the same record L.A. cannot be the lower seed. (Divisions still mean something!) So Dallas needs to beat L.A. in the ledger to have home court advantage in a prospective second-round match-up.
That HCA in the second round is valuable, given that (barring a 1-8 upset) the winner of that series would be conceding home-court to the Spurs.
Read Article >NBA Playoff Picture 2011: Celtics, Bulls, Heat Jostle For Favorable Seeding
The 2011 NBA Playoff Picture in the Eastern Conference is relatively settled in terms of what teams will participate in the NBA playoffs -- only one spot is truly up for grabs, as the top seven teams in the conference are on solid ground. But there’s plenty of seeding jostling to be done in the weeks ahead. Here’s on overview of the playoff picture in the East.
The No. 2 seed is a nice consolation prize, as that team would have home court advantage over the No. 3 seed, should both teams advance to the second round. Winning two conference series on the road is a challenge, so the No. 2 seed is valued.
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