There was nothing perfunctory about the final night of the NBA’s 2017-2018 season. There were 12 games on the schedule, including a de facto play-in game between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves that the Timberwolves won in overtime.
Even the 15 teams with playoff berths clinched had plenty at stake as zero playoff matchups were set. There were only teams locked into specific seeds after 81 games.
Here is a rundown of the matchups in each conference and how we got there. This was updated throughout the night.
EAST PLAYOFFS
1. Raptors vs. 8. Wizards
2. Celtics vs. 7. Bucks
3. 76ers vs. 6. Heat
4. Cavaliers vs. 5. Pacers
East No. 1 seed: Toronto Raptors (59-23)
This was locked in before the night.
East No. 2 seed: Boston Celtics (55-27)
This was locked in before the night.
East No. 3 seed: Philadelphia 76ers (52-30)
The 76ers wrapped this up by walloping the Bucks in the season finale. Sixteen straight wins!
East No. 4 seed: Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32)
The Cavaliers lost to the Knicks at home by 12, but it wouldn’t have mattered.
East No. 5 seed: Indiana Pacers (48-34)
This is locked in.
East No. 6 seed: Miami Heat (44-38)
Miami got this spot by outlasting the Raptors in overtime and watching the Bucks decide not to show up against the 76ers. But given how great the 76ers are playing, maybe this was a pyrrhic victory?
East No. 7 seed: Milwaukee Bucks (44-38)
Lucky Bucks. They were obliterated by the 76ers, but fall safely into the No. 7 seed and a date with the banged-up Celtics thanks to ...
East No. 8 seed: Washington Wizards (43-39)
The Wizards followed up a huge win over the Celtics ... by losing to a Magic team with massive incentive to lose for lottery positioning. John Wall and Otto Porter didn’t play, but still. Typical of their season.
WEST PLAYOFFS
1. Rockets vs. 8. Timberwolves
2. Warriors vs. 7. Spurs
3. Blazers vs. 6. Pelicans
4. Thunder vs. 5. Jazz
West No. 1 seed: Houston Rockets (65-17)
This was locked in before the night.
West No. 2 seed: Golden State Warriors (58-24)
This was locked in before the night.
West No. 3 seed: Portland Trail Blazers (49-33)
Portland snapped a five-game losing streak with a comfortable win over a tired Utah team at home to earn a division title and this seed.
West No. 4 seed: Oklahoma City Thunder (48-34)
After all that, the Thunder have home-court advantage. A lot had to go right to get here. Oklahoma City beat Memphis as expected, then got two results go their way when the Pelicans beat the Spurs and the Blazers beat the Jazz. The Thunder were swept by Portland this year, but won three of four against Utah. Therefore, Portland’s win put OKC in a tie with Utah and New Orleans, and OKC had the best record in games involving the three teams.
West No. 5 seed: Utah Jazz (48-34)
This was worst-case scenario for the Jazz. A loss combined with a Thunder win dropped them here. Had the Thunder lost to Memphis, Utah would have been the No. 4 seed and faced the Pelicans.
West No. 6 seed: New Orleans Pelicans (48-34)
New Orleans saved themselves from a matchup against Houston or Golden State by demolishing San Antonio at home. They could have risen as high as No. 5 had the Jazz won, but will settle for the No. 6 seed.
West No. 7 seed: San Antonio Spurs (47-35)
San Antonio lost badly to the Pelicans in New Orleans and saw their seed drop when Oklahoma City beat Memphis as expected. They would’ve fallen all the way to No. 8 had the Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves.
West No. 8 seed: Minnesota Timberwolves (47-35)
They won an OT thriller vs. the Nuggets to make the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. They could have moved up had New Orleans or Oklahoma City lost, but they did not. San Antonio owned the tiebreaker by virtue of a 2-1 head-to-head record.
West No. 9 seed: Denver Nuggets (46-36). This is not a playoff seed
Poor Denver.
Ty Lue says the Cavs were able to "stay together" with the new group coming in and he looks forward to the playoffs. (0:32)
The 2018 playoffs are here! We've got you covered from the first round all the way through the NBA Finals.
Key dates: 2018 NBA playoffs
April 14
First round begins
April 30-May 1
Conference semis begin (possible move-up to April 28-29)
May 15-16
Conference finals begin (possible move-up to May 13-14)
May 31
NBA Finals begin
GAME DATE MATCHUP (TIMES ET) Game 1 Sat. April 14 Wizards at Raptors, 5:30 (ESPN) Game 2 Tue. April 17 Wizards at Raptors, 7 (NBA TV) Game 3 Fri. April 20 Raptors at Wizards, 8 (ESPN2) Game 4 Sun. April 22 Raptors at Wizards, 6 (TNT) Game 5* Wed. April 25 Wizards at Raptors, TBD Game 6* Fri. April 27 Raptors at Wizards, TBD Game 7* Sun. April 29 Wizards at Raptors, TBD * if necessary
GAME DATE MATCHUP (TIMES ET) Game 1 Sun. April 15 Bucks at Celtics, 1 (TNT) Game 2 Tue. April 17 Bucks at Celtics, 8 (TNT) Game 3 Fri. April 20 Celtics at Bucks, 9:30 (ESPN) Game 4 Sun. April 22 Celtics at Bucks, 1 (ABC) Game 5* Tue. April 24 Bucks at Celtics, TBD Game 6* Thu. April 26 Celtics at Bucks, TBD Game 7* Sat. April 28 Bucks at Celtics, TBD * if necessary
GAME DATE MATCHUP (TIMES ET) Game 1 Sat. April 14 Heat at 76ers, 8 (ESPN) Game 2 Mon. April 16 Heat at 76ers, 8 (TNT) Game 3 Thu. April 19 76ers at Heat, 7 (TNT) Game 4 Sat. April 21 76ers at Heat, 2:30 (TNT) Game 5* Tue. April 24 Heat at 76ers, TBD Game 6* Thu. April 26 76ers at Heat, TBD Game 7* Sat. April 28 Heat at 76ers, TBD * if necessary
GAME DATE MATCHUP (TIMES ET) Game 1 Sun. April 15 Pacers at Cavs, 3:30 (ABC) Game 2 Wed. April 18 Pacers at Cavs, 7 (TNT) Game 3 Fri. April 20 Cavs at Pacers, 7 (ESPN) Game 4 Sun. April 22 Cavs at Pacers, 8:30 (TNT) Game 5* Wed. April 25 Pacers at Cavs, TBD Game 6* Fri. April 27 Cavs at Pacers, TBD Game 7* Sun. April 29 Pacers at Cavs, TBD * if necessary
GAME DATE MATCHUP (TIMES ET) Game 1 Sun. April 15 Wolves at Rockets, 9 (TNT) Game 2 Wed. April 18 Wolves at Rockets, 9:30 (TNT) Game 3 Sat. April 21 Rockets at Wolves, 7:30 (ESPN) Game 4 Mon. April 23 Rockets at Wolves, 8 (TNT) Game 5* Wed. April 25 Wolves at Rockets, TBD Game 6* Fri. April 27 Rockets at Wolves, TBD Game 7* Sun. April 29 Wolves at Rockets, TBD * if necessary
GAME DATE MATCHUP (TIMES ET) Game 1 Sat. April 14 Spurs at Warriors, 3 (ABC) Game 2 Mon. April 16 Spurs at Warriors, 10:30 (TNT) Game 3 Thu. April 19 Warriors at Spurs, 9:30 (TNT) Game 4 Sun. April 22 Warriors at Spurs, 3:30 (ABC) Game 5* Tue. April 24 Spurs at Warriors, TBD Game 6* Thu. April 26 Warriors at Spurs, TBD Game 7* Sat. April 28 Spurs at Warriors, TBD * if necessary
GAME DATE MATCHUP (TIMES ET) Game 1 Sat. April 14 Pelicans at Blazers, 10:30 (ESPN) Game 2 Tue. April 17 Pelicans at Blazers, 10:30 (TNT) Game 3 Thu. April 19 Blazers at Pelicans, 9 (NBA TV) Game 4 Sat. April 21 Blazers at Pelicans, 5 (TNT) Game 5* Tue. April 24 Pelicans at Blazers, TBD Game 6* Thu. April 26 Blazers at Pelicans, TBD Game 7* Sat. April 28 Pelicans at Blazers, TBD * if necessary
It's rare that you get a rematch of the previous year's Western Conference finals in the first round, but that's exactly what we have with the No. 2 Golden State Warriors taking on the No. 7 San Antonio Spurs.
Both teams will likely be without key All-Stars -- Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard are both expected to miss the entire series, barring surprise returns to the lineup. The series won't lack star power, however, as fellow All-Stars Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and LaMarcus Aldridge will all be on the court.
Before Game 1, here is everything you need to know about the first-round series:
No. 2 Golden State Warriors (58-24) vs. No. 7 San Antonio Spurs (47-35)
Playoff series schedule:
Game 1 in Oakland: TBA
Game 2 in Oakland: TBA
Game 3 in San Antonio: TBA
Game 4 in San Antonio: TBA
Game 5 in Oakland: TBA (if necessary)
Game 6 in San Antonio: TBA (if necessary)
Game 7 in Oakland: TBA (if necessary)
Season series: 3-1, Warriors
Last season's playoff results: Warriors won 2016-17 NBA title; Spurs lost to Warriors (4-0) in Western Conference finals
Injury report: Warriors guards Stephen Curry (knee) and Patrick McCaw (spinal contusion) are expected to miss the entire first-round series. Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (quad) is also expected to miss the entire series.
Golden State Warriors projected starting lineup: G Quinn Cook; G Klay Thompson; F Kevin Durant; F Draymond Green; C Zaza Pachulia
San Antonio Spurs projected starting lineup: G Dejounte Murray; G Patty Mills; G Danny Green; F Kyle Anderson; F LaMarcus Aldridge
Golden State wins if
This isn't the usual, dominant Warriors team that we're used to seeing heading into the first round, but they still have plenty of firepower. Basically, if the Warriors play up to their potential offensively, even without Steph Curry, the Spurs simply won't be able to score enough points to keep up with them. Kevin Durant creates incredible matchup problems for the Spurs if Leonard is unable to play, so he should be the focal point for Golden State.
San Antonio wins if
This is probably the least intimidating Spurs team of the past two decades, but they're still the Spurs. Without Leonard's two-way excellence, head coach Gregg Popovich is going to have to put on a master class of coaching and the Spurs will have to execute to perfection. Not only that, but LaMarcus Aldridge will have to be the best player on the court in numerous games if San Antonio is going to stand a chance.
SportsLine projections
According to SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh, Golden State has a 49.5 percent chance to win the conference and a 34.9 percent chance to win it all. San Antonio, on the other hand, only has a 2.9 percent chance to reach the conference finals and a 0.9 percent chance to reach the Finals. SportsLine will have game-by-game gambling advice for every playoff series here.
The Cavaliers and Pacers will meet each other in the playoffs for the second season in a row. The Pacers went into Wednesday night knowing they would be the 5-seed, but they didn't know their opponent until the Cavaliers lost to New York.
That loss clinched the rematch.
This an interesting matchup. The Cavaliers have struggled to play consistent basketball all season and this will be the first time a LeBron James-led team finishes as a No. 4 seed since 2008. The Pacers, on the other hand, have been one of the NBA's biggest surprises. Led by Victor Oladipo, they shocked everybody with their prolific offense and high energy.
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32) vs. No. 5 Indiana Pacers (48-34)
Playoff series schedule
Game 1 in Cleveland: TBA
Game 2 in Cleveland: TBA
Game 3 in Indianapolis: TBA
Game 4 in Indianapolis: TBA
Game 5 in Cleveland: TBA (if necessary)
Game 6 in Indianapolis: TBA (if necessary)
Game 7 in Cleveland: TBA (if necessary)
Season series: Pacers lead 3-1
Last season's playoff results: Cavaliers eliminated by Golden State Warriors in NBA Finals; Pacers swept by Cavaliers in the first round
Injury report: Rodney Hood missed the Cavaliers final two games with an Achilles injury, but he's expected to return for the playoffs.
Cavs' projected starting lineup: G George Hill; G Rodney Hood; F LeBron James; F Jeff Green.; C Kevin Love
Pacers' projected starting lineup: G Darren Collison; G Victor Oladipo; F Bojan Bogdanovic; F Thaddeus Young; C Myles Turner
Cavaliers win if
The Cavaliers win if they flip the switch. They've been an up-and-down team all season, but they finished the season with flashes of who they want to be come postseason time. Larry Nance Jr. gives them a lot of versatility off the bench and is a game-changer for them. However, none of this matters if they can't flip the switch and look like the team everybody expects them to be. That will depend on LeBron James.
Pacers win if
The Pacers can win this series if the Cavaliers' D doesn't improve in the playoffs. Cleveland has been one of the NBA's worst defensive teams this season and ranks 29th in defensive efficiency. The Pacers have a fast-paced offense that can exploit the Cavs in a hurry. They're an average defensive team, though, so they'll need to outscore the Cavs to have a chance.
SportsLine projections
According to SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh, the Cavaliers have a 50 percent chance to win the conference and an 11.1 percent chance to win it all. Meanwhile, the Pacers have a 2.4 chance of winning the conference and 1.0 percent chance to reach the Finals. SportsLine will have game-by-game gambling advice for every playoff series here.
