The Grizzlies got smoked by the Warriors on Friday, which primarily reasserts Golden State's dominance. It also helped the Rockets (who beat the Timberwolves) close the gap with their Southwest rivals. Memphis maintains its hold on the West No. 2 seed, but leads Houston by only a half-game.
2015 NBA playoff standings: The Grizzlies could slip to No. 5
If Memphis doesn’t get right, they could end up in a bad place in the bracket.
Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
The two teams split their season series, and so the first tiebreaker would be in-division record. Memphis is 8-6 against the Southwest with games against the Spurs (Sunday) and the Pelicans (April 8) remaining. Houston is 6-6 with games against Mavericks, Pelicans and a pair against the Spurs remaining.
Meanwhile, the Clippers are only two games behind the Grizzlies. That means that if things break wrong, Memphis could fall to the No. 5 seed, which means a second-round date with the Warriors if the team survives Portland. The No. 2 seed is a huge prize: it means you likely avoid the Spurs in the first round and the Warriors in the second.
Here’s the West bracket as of Saturday morning:
Warriors (1) vs. Thunder (8)
Blazers (4) vs. Clippers (5)*
Clippers have home court advantage
Grizzlies (2) vs. Mavericks (7)
Rockets (3) vs. Spurs (6)
The East race didn't change a whole lot, except that Brooklyn's big win over Cleveland kept the Nets in close contact with the No. 8 seed. The Nets are a half-game behind Boston. But the Celtics won the season series, so the Nets need to pass them in the standings to land it. Miami lost but still has a one-game cushion at No. 7 plus tiebreakers over Boston and Brooklyn.
Here's what the East bracket looks like as of Saturday morning:
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