This flowchart makes sense of the West’s playoff scenarios

The Western Conference playoff picture is not nearly as messy as that of the East on the final day of the NBA regular season. But it’s still pretty messy! The top four seeds are set -- Golden State, San Antonio, Oklahoma City and the Clippers, in that order -- but the rest is in flux. The flowchart below will help you figure it out.

Note that the unresolved race for the No. 8 seed is not included in the flowchart, for it is quite simple. If the Rockets beat the Kings OR if the Jazz lose to the Lakers, Houston the No. 8 seed and faces Golden State. If the Rockets lose AND the Jazz win, Utah’s No. 8 and facing the Warriors. Here’s the rest of the story.