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Brace yourselves, basketball fans. The 2021 NBA playoffs are almost here.
There is an added level of intrigue this year with the league implementing a new version of the play-in tournament, which was first seen inside the Florida “bubble” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of the traditional eight-team fields in each conference, a total of 20 teams will participate in the postseason.
MORE: Latest standings | Daily NBA schedule
With multiple contenders battling for playoff positioning, the final stretch of the regular season should provide plenty of entertainment.
Here’s a snapshot of the current NBA playoff picture, including the full standings for each conference.
NBA standings 2021: Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 1. | 76ers* | 47-22 | — |
| 2. | Nets* | 46-24 | 1.5 |
| 3. | Bucks* | 44-25 | 3 |
| 4. | Hawks* | 39-31 | 8.5 |
| 5. | Heat* | 38-31 | 9 |
| 6. | Knicks* | 38-31 | 9 |
| 7. | Celtics** | 35-35 | 12.5 |
| 8. | Hornets** | 33-36 | 14 |
| 9. | Pacers** | 33-36 | 14 |
| 10. | Wizards | 32-38 | 15.5 |
| — | Bulls | 29-40 | 18 |
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*clinched playoff berth
**clinched play-in berth
Eliminated from playoff contention: Cavaliers, Magic, Pistons, Raptors
NBA standings 2021: Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 1. | Jazz* | 50-20 | — |
| 2. | Suns* | 48-21 | 1.5 |
| 3. | Clippers* | 46-23 | 3.5 |
| 4. | Nuggets* | 45-24 | 4.5 |
| 5. | Trail Blazers | 41-29 | 9 |
| 6. | Mavericks | 41-29 | 9 |
| 7. | Lakers | 40-30 | 10 |
| 8. | Warriors** | 37-33 | 13 |
| 9. | Grizzlies** | 36-33 | 13.5 |
| 10. | Spurs | 33-36 | 16.5 |
| — | Kings | 31-38 | 18.5 |
| — | |||
| — | |||
| — | |||
| — |
*clinched playoff berth
**clinched play-in berth
Eliminated from playoff contention: Pelicans, Rockets, Thunder, Timberwolves
How does the NBA play-in tournament work?
- The play-in tournament will be held after the conclusion of the 2020-21 regular season and before the start of the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs. The teams that finish Nos. 1-6 in the standings of each conference will be guaranteed playoff spots, and teams Nos. 7-10 will enter the play-in tournament.
- The No. 7 team will face the No. 8 team, and the winner will earn the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The loser will still have one more opportunity to reach the playoffs.
- The No. 9 team will face the No. 10 team, and the winner will advance to play against the loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game. The loser of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game will be eliminated from playoff contention.
- The loser from the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game and the winner from the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game will then play against each other. The winner of that game will be the No. 8 seed in the playoffs, and the loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
NBA playoff picture: Seeding breakdowns
(Remaining strength of schedule via Tankathon and playoff probability via FiveThirtyEight)
Eastern Conference
1. 76ers
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .386
Playoff probability: In
2. Nets
Remaining games: 2
Remaining strength of schedule: .367
Playoff probability: In
3. Bucks
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .483
Playoff probability: In
4. Hawks
Remaining games: 2
Remaining strength of schedule: .266
Playoff probability: In
5. Heat
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .534
Playoff probability: In
6. Knicks
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .486
Playoff probability: In
7. Celtics
Remaining games: 2
Remaining strength of schedule: .435
Playoff probability: 91 percent
8. Hornets
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .558
Playoff probability: 45 percent
9. Pacers
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .534
Playoff probability: 36 percent
10. Wizards
Remaining games: 2
Remaining strength of schedule: .396
Playoff probability: 29 percent
Western Conference
1. Jazz
Remaining games: 2
Remaining strength of schedule: .374
Playoff probability: In
2. Suns
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .514
Playoff probability: In
3. Clippers
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .335
Playoff probability: In
4. Nuggets
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .397
Playoff probability: In
5. Trail Blazers
Remaining games: 2
Remaining strength of schedule: .674
Playoff probability: 99 percent
6. Mavericks
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .355
Playoff probability: 99 percent
7. Lakers
Remaining games: 2
Remaining strength of schedule: .460
Playoff probability: 96 percent
8. Warriors
Remaining games: 2
Remaining strength of schedule: .482
Playoff probability: 62 percent
9. Grizzlies
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .476
Playoff probability: 35 percent
10. Spurs
Remaining games: 3
Remaining strength of schedule: .647
Playoff probability: 9 percent
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