With 81 of 82 games completed in the 2014-15 NBA regular season, the Trail Blazers' opponent for the first round of the playoffs is still very much undecided. While this scenario isn't too uncommon - there are generally a couple undecided pairings heading into the final game of the season - having just three seeds determined is unusual.
The three that have been locked in to their seeding: Golden State at No. 1, Portland at No. 4 and Dallas at No. 7. The eighth seed will either be New Orleans or Oklahoma City, who own identical records with one game remaining (New Orleans owns the tiebreaker). And that's just the beginning of the boundless seeding possibilities.
Seeds No. 2, No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 will be occupied by San Antonio, the LA Clippers, Memphis and Houston, respectively. Those four teams could shake out in any order (with one exception - the Clippers cannot end up as the six-seed).
There are 16 total possibilities. Without weighing the probability for the outcome of each game, here's the cut and dry of it:
- There are six scenarios in which Portland will end up playing Houston.
- There are six scenarios in which Portland will end up playing Memphis.
- There are two scenarios in which Portland will play the LA Clippers.
- There are two scenarios in which Portland will play San Antonio.
Here are the four respective teams' final games:
- LA Clippers on the road in Phoenix (Tuesday)
- Houston at home against Utah (Wednesday)
- San Antonio on the road in New Orleans (Wednesday)
- Memphis at home against Indiana (Wednesday)
Draw you own conclusions on how each game will shake out and which teams will sit players. One thing is certain, though. The Pelicans and Pacers are both fighting for an eighth seed in their respective conferences. Both teams control their own destiny, and a loss for either team would likely mean playoff elimination.
The one speculation I will make: if the Grizzlies and Spurs opt to avoid injury (and victory) by resting key players, knowing their opponent will be playing for their lives - and the Clippers and Rockets each win (they're both favored), Portland's playoff opponent will be the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.
Now, the cherry-on-top for Portland's unique playoff situation. The team is currently in Dallas for the second game of a season-ending two-game road trip on Wednesday. The Trail Blazers know they will open the playoffs on the road, because 'FOR THE LAST TIME, WINNING THE DIVISION DOES NOT ENSURE HOME COURT ADVANTAGE'. So the team has packed its bags in preparation to travel directly to its first round playoff destination.
The only problem, nobody knows who that will be.