Here come the NBA playoffs!

The final night of the 2017-18 NBA regular season was quite eventful. The Timberwolves beat the Nuggets in a veritable play-in game, though it took overtime to get there. Most teams that needed to win for preferable playoff seeding did so, unless they were playing against a team that also needed a win for preferable playoff seeding and also unless they were the miserable Washington Wizards, who somehow lost to a team that has been trying hard to lose for weeks.

The upshot? We have our eight first-round series set. Here they are.

First, in the East ...

Raptors (1) vs. Wizards (8)
Cavaliers (4) vs. Pacers (5)
Sixers (3) vs. Heat (6)
Celtics (2) vs. Bucks (8)

And in the West ...

Rockets (1) vs. Timberwolves (8)
Thunder (4) vs. Jazz (5)
Blazers (3) vs. Pelicans (6)
Warriors (2) vs. Spurs (7)

Kristian Winfield ranked the series from most compelling to least. I absolutely cannot wait to devour every second of Blazers-Pelicans.

The draft order heading into the lottery was also set, though we have a few coin flips to resolve. Here’s a fresh mock draft using the final win-loss records to create the order. Lots of intrigue throughout the top 10!

BKN 97, BOS 110
NYK 110, CLE 98
TOR 109, MIA 116 (OT)
WAS 92, ORL 101
MIL 95, PHI 130
DET 119, CHI 87
DEN 106, MIN 112 (OT)
SAS 98, NOP 122
MEM 123, OKC 137
LAL 115, LAC 100
UTA 93, POR 102
HOU 83, SAC 96

The Knicks fired Jeff Hornacek early Thursday in the first salvo of the offseason. Woj reports that Mark Jackson, Jerry Stackhouse, David Fizdale, and David Blatt will be top candidates for the job. Note the Knicks brought in a new front office led by Scott Perry last summer. At least one other coach on the ropes — Frank Vogel in Orlando — has a similar situation afoot. And it doesn’t really sound like the Magic are comfortable keeping him for another season.

Russell Westbrook needed 34 rebounds over his final two games to average a triple-double on the season. HE DID IT. Dude had 20 rebounds and 19 assists on Wednesday. (But hilariously he scored just six points, so he didn’t have a triple-double in the finale of a season where he averaged a triple-double.) His teammates were really trying to help get the boards necessary.

This is not a drill: James Harden x GQ. You absolutely need to see these photos and read this Devin Gordon piece. This is, I repeat, NOT a drill. The focus of the photo shoot was clearly something like “let’s drop Harden in a hypebeast’s version of Willy Wonka” and then Gordon’s piece starts off talking about Harden’s brand affinity for Trolli. I love it. (Seriously, go check it out.)

A bracket for the 64 most fun moments in the very fun regular season. Give me Hoodie Melo, Tunnel Fight, U Bum, and Fergie in the Final Four.

I wrote about the Warriors’ vulnerability, even when Stephen Curry comes back.

Dirk Nowitzki is coming back next season, and he’s volunteering to come off of the bench.

Swish Appeal is running WNBA Draft previews for each team ahead of Thursday’s event. The draft will be on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET. The Las Vegas Aces have the No. 1 pick, and will almost assuredly add A’ja Wilson to last year’s No. 1 pick Kelsey Plum.

An interview with the dude who dressed like Milhouse at Bucks games.

Fantastic Kevin Arnovitz piece on Doc Rivers’ decision to leave the rebuilding Celtics ... and his perch watching Boston in the playoffs while sitting at home.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute dislocated his shoulder and will miss the first round for Houston.

And finally: Jerry Reynolds, longtime color commentator for the Sacramento Kings, is stepping down from that role to better manage his health. He is simply the nicest man in basketball. Happy trails, friend.

Be excellent to each other.