NBA Playoff Push 2026: Coming into Focus

The 2025-26 NBA season is really coming down to the wire! 21 days, three full weeks remain in the regular season. A vast majority of teams have played at least 70 games this year, so yeah, time is really running out in this season, especially for teams trying to get in. And as it often does in every sport that has this little time remaining, the playoff picture becomes more clear. In the case of the NBA, it's really in focus.

And I'll be honest, as someone who watches both the NBA and NHL and enjoys seeing both playoffs clash with each other, I am still trying to get used to the fact that the NBA's regular season has been ending before the NHL's. For years, the NHL's regular season ended about a week (if that) before the NBA's, and constantly, Stanley (NHL) was awarded before Larry (NBA). In the last few years, the Stanley Cup and NBA Playoffs have been starting on the same day (regarding the latter, I do mean the actual 16-team NBA Playoffs that starts after the Play-In Tournament), and the length of both championships does determine which gets awarded first.

So with all of that said, let's take a look at the playoff picture as the season enters the final 21 days:

In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons are still standing at the top with 51 wins, though they have been without top player Cade Cunningham for a good bit, so we'll see how they fare. The Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks are battling for #2, with Boston holding #2 by a half game over New York. The Cleveland Cavaliers (44-27) are at #4, and below that is a logjam that is somehow tighter than it was a week ago. The 39-31 Toronto Raptors are #5, and behind them are two teams at 39-32. As for which one stands in the very important #6 spot, that's the red-hot Atlanta Hawks via head-to-head tiebreaker. Amazing. Since trading their top star, Trae Young, the Hawks are 21-11, and that includes recently winning 12 of their last 13 games.

As a result, the Philadelphia 76ers sit at #7, while the Orlando Magic are a half game behind at #8. The Miami Heat are down to the #9 spot, though they are actually a game and a half behind the #5 spot, and the Charlotte Hornets, at #10, are 2.5 games behind the #5 Raptors. These teams are just a hot streak away from really moving up the ladder. The Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, and Cavaliers are all postseason bound, and it was on March 20 that the Pistons officially locked in a playoff spot.

In the Western Conference, the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, are still leading the conference at 56-15. The San Antonio Spurs are #2 at 53-18, and the Los Angeles Lakers sit at #3 at 46-25. The Houston Rockets are at the #4 spot at 43-27, mere percentage points ahead of the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are both 44-28, with the Nuggets at #5 via tiebreaker, placing the Timberwolves at #6.

In the Play-In picture, the Phoenix Suns hold the #7 spot at 40-32, and below them, the Los Angeles Clippers (#8), Portland Trail Blazers (#9), and Golden State Warriors (#10) are separated by two games in the standings. The West currently has seven teams who are in the postseason, with the Thunder and Spurs officially in the playoffs. The Thunder also locked up the Northwest Division, and it's basically just them and the Spurs going at it for the #1 seed.

If the season ended right now, this is what the bracket would look like. In the East, the Knicks and Hawks would face off in one series, the Cavaliers and Raptors would battle in another, and the Play-In Tournament would determine the Pistons and Celtics' opponents. One game in the East would feature the Sixers hosting the Magic, with the winner facing the Celtics, while the losing team faces whoever wins between the Heat and Hornets, and whoever wins the battle between the two teams remaining would face the Pistons. In the West, the Lakers and Timberwolves would face off in one series, the Rockets and Nuggets would face each other in another series, and the Play-In Tournament would determine the Thunder and Spurs' opponents. One game in the West would feature the Suns hosting the Clippers, with the winner facing the Spurs, while the losing team faces whoever wins between the Blazers and Warriors. Whoever wins that last game between the two remaining teams would face the Thunder.

The Play-In Tournament takes place from April 14-17, and the actual playoffs starts on April 18. Just over three weeks until the postseason starts. This home stretch has been absolutely amazing, and I'm excited to see what the final 21 days of the season will bring us!