© Isaiah J. Downing, USA TODAY SportsThe Lakers and Nuggets, who competed for the Western Conference title last season, could meet in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The grueling slog through the NBA's compact, COVID-restricted regular season nears its end.
Through the frustration, turmoil, exhaustion, injuries, adherence - and sometimes lack thereof - to health and safety protocols and an occasional confounding result, much remains unsettled with 18 days left in the 2020-21 regular season.
The addition of this season's play-in format has created an added level of intrigue with 24 of the 30 NBA teams in the mix for a playoff spot.
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While some teams may be locked into the playoffs or play-in game scenario, seeds are tenuous at best.
"It's just great experience for our guys," Charlotte coach James Borrego said. "We put ourselves in a wonderful position here as a young group - we're still one of the youngest teams in the NBA - to get this experience (and) to play meaningful games against top level teams. There's no greater teacher than this right now. So, it's everybody learning on the fly, learning together, gaining great experience. For us, I couldn't draw it up any better than this."
Let's take a look at what's at stake in the final two-plus weeks of the regular season:
Going for the top seed
Brooklyn and Philadelphia are 1-2 in the East separated by a game with both teams trying to avoid a second-round matchup with third-seeded Milwaukee, which at 3 1/2 games back are unlikely to catch the top seed.
Philadelphia just lost back-to-back games against Milwaukee and finished 0-3 against the Bucks this season. The Sixers are also pushing for the top seed in the East because they play so well at home (24-7 this season, 31-4 last season). However you want to ascribe the importance of home court in a season with mostly empty arenas, it still matters. At least the top six teams in both conferences possess winning records at home.
© Morry Gash, APThe 76ers have not been able to contain Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks this season. The Bucks have swept the three-game season series, which is why the 76ers want to avoid a possible second-round playoff matchup against the Bucks.
Per Tankathon, the Sixers have the second-easiest remaining schedule and the Nets the 11th-hardest remaining schedule.
"We actually don't talk about the No. 1 seed very often," Sixers coach Doc Rivers said. "I think I've mentioned it once or twice the entire season. It's just that we want to win. We feel like the No. 1 seed is important and it'd be nice if we could get it. But I really focus more on just winning and getting better. We don't really worry about matchups because there's no way you can control that. At the end of the day, if you want to be the best, it shouldn't matter what the matchups are, you should just win games."
The Nets are also focused on the top seed. But they're also concerned about health. Nets coach Steve Nash indicated his team might not be healthy until the second round. That's not ideal - whether it's a potential second-round series against Milwaukee or crosstown rival New York Knicks.
The Bucks, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, may end as the No. 3 seed, but they'll be as formidable as a No. 1 seed.
In the West, Utah holds a slim 1-game lead over Phoenix and 3-game lead over the Los Angeles Clippers. Phoenix has the seventh toughest remaining schedule with games against Utah, the Clippers, Lakers, Hawks, Knicks and Portland.
There is franchise pride at stake, too. The Clippers have never been the No. 1 seed, the Jazz haven't been the top seed since 1998 and the Suns have been the best regular-season team in the West since 2005.
4-5 intrigue in the West
How deep is the West? How about this for a 4-5 first-round matchup - the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Denver Nuggets, the two Western Conference finalists (and champion) from last season.
The Lakers likely won't drop from fifth to seventh place so the play-in game scenario isn't much of a concern. But it's unlikely they move ahead Denver into fourth - meaning the defending champs won't have home-court advantage to start the playoffs and may not have it at all throughout the postseason. Anthony Davis is back in the lineup, and the Lakers need James - who has been out since March 20 - to return.
Don't discount the Nuggets just because of Jamal Murray's season-ending ACL injury. Denver is 7-1 since his injury and 10-2 without him when you count the four games he missed just prior to his injury.
Mad jumble in the middle of the standings
Spots 6-10 (Dallas, Portland, Memphis, San Antonio, Golden State) in the West are separated by 3½ games, spots 6-9 (Boston, Miami, Charlotte, Indiana) in the East separated by three games and positions 8-12 (Charlotte, Indiana, Washington, Chicago, Toronto) in the East separated by four games.
There are two factors at play here. One, teams want to avoid the play-in game scenario and the risk of not making the playoffs. Two, if teams end up in the 7-10 play-in game scenario they would prefer the 7-8 spots because the seventh and eighth seeds need to win just once and the 9-10 seeds need to win twice to make the playoffs.
It has created a competitive environment and made more games meaningful.
The play-in game madness
No matter your feelings on the play-in game format, it has created excitement and tension. It's possible Golden State and Steph Curry, Miami and Jimmy Butler, Washington and Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook, Memphis and Ja Morant, Portland and Damian Lillard are part of the play-in format.
That's star power at the bottom of the postseason seeds.
And let's look at this way: If the Wizards win the 9-10 game, the loser of the 7-8 game won't be thrilled to see Beal and Westbrook in a winner advances game.
"I know we have a chance when those two guys are right," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "But like any game, you've got to have more guys than just your two best players. Your role players have to be stars in their role. Your bench is going to have come in, and you usually have a wildcard that has an out-of-nowhere game. But if we're in the ninth or 10th spot and we have to play a game or two on the road, I love our chances."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: With so many teams in playoff mix, NBA braces for mad scramble to regular-season finish