More than three NBA nights, but three times more sweating than usual. After taking stock of the Eastern Conference, we move on to the West! Lakers, Mavs and Blazers are in the trenches right now to determine the 5-6-7 places in their rankings ahead of the 2021 Playoffs. But who will end up where? And who wants to have a huge headache while watching all possible and imaginable scenarios? Vamos.
We take the same and start again ! With all the stories of tie-breakers, ranking play, better or worse opposition in the first round of the Playoffs, this final week of the regular season should have a lot of exciting storylines in store for us. It is also a weekend in which the questions multiply, like those that we see around the rules that exist to organize the teams. How do you get Dallas in front of Portland? And what about the Lakers if they end their season in Perfect? That’s good, we have coffee in our blood and a mad desire to explode our skulls by offering you as many answers as possible. So, make yourself comfortable, we’ll explain all of this to you right away.
Already, let’s start with a point in the Western Conference standings this Friday, May 14, after tonight’s games.
New classification in the Western Conference. pic.twitter.com/u7pV0uMbMN
– TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) May 14, 2021
Portland’s controversial loss to Phoenix was a game-changer in the West. Now it is not the Blazers but the Mavs who are 5th in the Western Conference, while the Lakers (7th) smell the beast from Oregon injured in 6th position.
So how do you know who will end up where? Well, here are the scenarios to anticipate below.
First, let’s take a look at the remaining matches to be played for these three teams:
- Mavericks (41-29) : vs Toronto + à Minnesota
- Blazers (41-30) : vs Denver
- Lakers (40-30) : in Indiana + in New Orleans
On paper, the benefits are different. We can consider that Portland has a good option to seize by having only one game to play, and that it will be at home against the Nuggets who will certainly want to cement their 4th place in the West. But that also leaves few options for the Blazers, who will have to make sure they win after going through a big disillusionment in Phoenix this season. On the Mavs side, the analysis has two inclinations. We can approach the home game against Toronto as a godsend, but can the same be said of a trip to the finish in Minnesota? The Wolves are not giving up on this end of the regular, wanting to create some exciting momentum for next season. There’s a good chance Anthony Edwards and his pals will give their all in battle. Finally, for the Lakers, two games on the road but two meetings that the defending champions can and must win. The Pacers are decimated in their roster, the Pelicans too. So we have, for each team, its own challenge. And to each his own way of seeing a mini-advantage over the competition.
Now, let’s take a look at the possible scenarios until Monday morning, and the different rankings that can take place, with an important reminder of the rules of tie-breakers. Because for a team like Dallas, which is leader of its division, a scenario with everyone tied would clearly go in their direction. In head-to-head matches, the Lakers have no tiebreakers, while the Blazers have won 2 of their 3 games against Dallas this season. It is therefore Portland which, in team against team duels, can bulge the chest.
Here are the NBA rules for tie-breakers with 2 or 3 tied teams.
The points are ranked in order of priority. pic.twitter.com/97h1bTqytg
– TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) May 12, 2021
- Mavs font 2-0 / Blazers 1-0 / Lakers 2-0 : Mavs and 5, Blazers and 6, Lakers and 7
- Mavs font 2-0 / Blazers 1-0 / Lakers 1-1 : Mavs and 5, Blazers and 6, Lakers and 7
- Mavs font 2-0 / Blazers 0-1 / Lakers 2-0 : Mavs and 5, Lakers and 6, Blazers and 7
- Mavs font 1-1 / Blazers 1-0 / Lakers 2-0 : Mavs and 5, Blazers and 6, Lakers and 7
- Mavs font 1-1 / Blazers 1-0 / Lakers 1-1 : Blazers and 5, Mavs and 6, Lakers and 7
- Mavs font 1-1 / Blazers 0-1 / Lakers 2-0 : Mavs and 5, Lakers and 6, Blazers and 7
- Mavs font 1-1 / Blazers 0-1 / Lakers 1-1 : Mavs and 5, Blazers and 6, Lakers and 7
- Mavs font 1-1 / Blazers 1-0 / Lakers 0-2 : Blazers and 5, Mavs and 6, Lakers and 7
- Mavs font 0-2 / Blazers 1-0 / Lakers 2-0 : Blazers and 5, Lakers and 6, Mavs and 7
- Mavs font 0-2 / Blazers 1-0 / Lakers 1-1 : Blazers and 5, Mavs and 6, Lakers and 7
- Mavs font 0-2 / Blazers 0-1 / Lakers 2-0 : Lakers and 5, Blazers and 6, Mavs and 7
- Mavs font 0-2 / Blazers 0-1 / Lakers 1-1 : Mavs and 5, Blazers and 6, Lakers and 7
There are obviously other scenarios, but here we share the highlights to identify the most important points to keep in mind in this last corner. First, as can be seen in most scenarios, it is Dallas that has its fate in its hands the most. With two games to play, the 3-team tie-breaker in their possession (division leader) and the majority of scenarios that send them to 5th place, Luka Doncic’s friends must first and foremost manage their victories so as not to be lost. fright. Then will come this opposition between Denver and Portland, for the last game of the Blazers regular, and which will be worth its weight in peanuts. Indeed, a victory for Damian Lillard and company could put pressure on the Lakers and Mavs, who will have to make a perfect not to be overtaken by Portland. As a reminder, there is a good chance that the 6th place team will face the Clippers in the first round of the Playoffs. Is a small duel between angenilos possible? Yes, but first and foremost it will be a Lakers perfect, two away games and two wins. If AD and his boys ensure that, the Blazers will not be able to choke against Denver under penalty of falling badly at the finish. What is certain, for those who ask themselves the question in Los Angeles or Rungis while puffing their fingers, is that there are scenarios without play-in tournament for the Lakers, but it will have to go through no defeat in three days, and a little luck that Dallas and the Blazers get their feet wet.
Are you still following us? Alright, that means you’ve survived this combo of multiple scenarios. Mavs, Blazers and Lakers will make us dream until Monday morning, it’s up to you to tell us who you see now in places 4-5-6 of the Western Conference.
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