Excluding the eighth seed in the Western Conference, all 15 of the other playoff spots are accounted for. Many of those teams, however, are still playing to determine their first round matchup.
With the Milwaukee Bucks dropping a game to the Charlotte Bobcats—on a night that the Boston Celtics overwhelmed the Orlando Magic—the eighth seed is no longer in question, and we now have the first matchup of the 2013 NBA Playoffs.
As a matter of fact, the only seeds in the Eastern Conference that have been determined thus far are the first, seventh and eighth seeds (Miami, Boston and Milwaukee respectively).
The New York Knicks, currently in second, could relinquish their spot to the Indiana Pacers should they lose out while the Pacers win their three remaining games. Doing so would give them both the same record, but Indiana would have the head-to-head tiebreaker. However, should Indiana lose two more games and should the Brooklyn Nets be able to win out, then Brooklyn would over take them on for the third seed.
The Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks are currently in a race to get the fifth seed.
The Western Conference playoff picture is still a mess. While the first seven spots are accounted for, every seed in the West is still up for grabs between the Los Angeles Lakers, now without Kobe Bryant, and the Utah Jazz.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are still doing a two-team tango for the number one seed.
The Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies are jockeying for the third seed, though the Clips can finish no lower than fourth since they won the Pacific Division.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets are battling for the sixth seed.
With the last day of the regular season closing in fast, only a few short days stand separate all of us from a clearer playoff picture.
At least, for now, we know for certain that the Heat will be facing the Bucks in the first round.
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Michael Brumagin is the “Tweet of the Day” columnist for Sheridan Hoops. You can follow him on Twitter.