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NBA: Who’s Going To Win The No. 2 Seed In The West?

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 10, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) dribbles the ball as San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. The Spurs won 104-103. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) dribbles the ball as San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. The Spurs won 104-103. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 10, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs players celebrate after defeating the Houston Rockets 104-103 at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Predictions

So now that we’ve taken a look at remaining schedules, recent play and tiebreaker scenarios, what is actually going to happen? For starters, let’s make some predictions about each team’s remaining schedules:

  • San Antonio Spurs: 1-0
  • Houston Rockets: 2-0
  • Memphis Grizzlies: 1-1
  • Los Angeles Clippers: 2-0

The Spurs want the No. 2 seed, so unless The Brow drops 50, they’re going to beat even a playoff desperate team (which is not even 100 percent guaranteed, since a New Orleans win and OKC loss tonight would lock up the eighth seed for the Pelicans).

The Rockets are going to destroy Charlotte to keep their second seed hopes alive, and though the Jazz will put up a tougher fight, I expect Houston to emerge victorious there as well.

A 1-1 record seems to be the safest prediction for Memphis on both sides. The Warriors could either come out and play great basketball in a win or they could rest starters to give the Grizz a victory. On the flip side, a playoff desperate Pacers team could upend Memphis, or the Grizz could actually play well and protect their home court.

The Clippers should have no problem destroying two teams that have nothing to play for, even on a back-to-back.

So to summarize, that would leave the Spurs, Rockets and Clippers with a 56-24 record, while the Grizzlies would follow up the pack at 55-27. In that scenario, Memphis would take the sixth seed.

Here’s where our tiebreakers come into play. The Spurs would own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Houston and as division winners, they’d nab the No. 2 seed over the Clips. Los Angeles’ superior division record would give them the tiebreaker over Houston for the No. 3 spot, the Blazers would claim their No. 4 seed as division winners and the Rockets would drop to fifth.

That means the Spurs would enjoy a first round matchup with the Dallas Mavericks, the Clippers would face a tough Grizzlies team in a first round rivalry showdown and the Rockets would enjoy home-court advantage over the No. 4 Blazers since they have a superior record.

These are just guesses as to how the remainder of the regular season will shake out, but if this is what winds up happening, remember you saw it here first.

Next: NBA: 10 Players Who Deserve More Appreciation

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