The last weekend of the 2022/23 National Basketball Association (NBA) is here, yet the play-off picture will not come any clearer until the end of the regular season on Sunday, April 9. Granted, the Eastern Conference is clear on the 10 teams who will play after this weekend, but who will play whom is still anybody’s guess.

The situation with the Western Conference is a totally different story as only the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Sunshave secured their spot, while everyone else is playing to keep their head above water. And more importantly, the jostling will involve teams trying to avoid the Play-In Tournament at all costs, by finishing in the top six positions of each conference.

In 2021, the NBA introduced a new format in which teams ranking from seventh to 10th in the respective Conferences would have a chance to challenge for a playoff spot.Previously, the top eight teams would progress to the playoffs, and the rest would be eliminated, but the decision was taken to rethink the process, leading to the birth of the Play-In Tournament.

The Play-In Tournament uses a single and double elimination process, where the seventh and eighth-seeded teams play each other, while the ninth and 10th seeds battle for supremacy. The winner of the seventh and eighth-seeded match-up automatically gets the seventh spot. Meanwhile, the loser of the clash between the ninth and 10th-seed, is eliminated. The winner of the game between the ninth and tenth-seeded plays the loser of the seventh and eighth-seeded game to determine who gets the eighth and final play-off spot.

The Play-In Tournament will take place April 11-14, after which the ‘real’ play-offs begin on April 15.The first round of the NBA play-offs features four match-ups in each Conference, in a best-of-seven series. The top seeds play the eighth, second plays seventh, third seed plays sixth and fourth plays fifth.The team with the better record in the regular season has the home-court advantage in the matchups, meaning that four of the seven games are slated for their turf.

The winners of the first-round advance to the second round, the conference semi-finals, for another best-of-seven series and the rule of home-court advantage would still apply. The respective winners of the second round will contest the conference finals,the third round of the play-offs, in another seven-game series, where home-court advantage would still apply.

The winners of each conference final would then have an opportunity to grab hold of the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy when the NBA finals start on June 1, 2023. And just like the previous rounds, a best-of-seven series will be played, and home-court advantage would apply.

There are many questions to be answered between now and Sunday. Nine of the 12 guaranteed play-off spots across both conferences have already been clinched (five of those have secured home-court advantage in the first round), leaving another 12 spots up for grabs this weekend – four in the play-offs and eight in the play-in.

Arguably, the most intriguing storyline to watch this weekend is that of the Dallas Mavericks. After Luka Doncic inspired them to a conference finals appearance last season, the Mavericks face an uphill battle just to qualify for the play-in this year. The Mavericks have been struggling since signing Kyrie Irving in February and will need to beat the Chicago Bulls this evening and the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday to have any hope of a chance. Of course, they will need some help as the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were expected to be one of the worst teams this season, are sitting on the final play-in spot (#10) just ahead of Dallas, thanks to break-out seasons from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and rookie Jalen Williams.

Oklahoma City can finish no higher than where they currently sit and close their regular season against the Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon, where they may benefit from Memphis having already secured both their play-off spot and homecourt advantage in the first round. If the Thunder can hold off the Mavericks, they will have a chance to play their way into the first round and impressively cap off their overachievement this season.

The Grizzlies visit the Bucks this evening and, had they not both secured their play-off spots already, this would be a dogfight. The Golden State Warriors, however, welcome Sacramento onto their floor tonight in what is expected to be a humdinger. The defending champs know how to win (especially at home), with an offence that’s nearly impossible to guard, featuring two of the greatest shooters in NBA history and another who can catch fire at the drop of a hat. The Warriors are precariously perched at No 5 in the West and will be making every effort to avoid the play-in, especially knowing they close the regular season against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, on the road.

The Kings last made the play-offs in 2006 – the longest playoff drought in NBA history (16 years) – but have been one of three consistent teams in the Western Conference this season. They are the only West team with a winning road record, and they have the league’s No 1 offence, with an effective field goal percentage of 57.6 per cent, which is the highest mark in NBA-history.However, they rank 25th defensively, and they’re 26th in opponent field goal percentage in the paint, which renders a deep play-off run questionable. On Sunday, April 2, the Kings had a chance to climb within a game of the second-placed Grizzlies but allowed the San Antonio Spurs (who rank 29th offensively) to score 142 points and they lost in overtime.

There are 29 games left to play in the NBA regular season and almost all will have postseason implications.There are numerous ways everything could settle between now and Sunday, and seedings could switch game by game. The difference between an extended season and an early holiday is very slim, and there is no way to tell where the chips will fall. Prepare for a chaotic weekend.

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NBA CHAMPION 2023

TeamOdds

Milwaukee Bucks3.70

Boston Celtics4.30

Phoenix Suns5.40

Denver Nuggets 8.40

Philadelphia 76ers10.00

Golden State Warriors11.00

Memphis Grizzlies15.00

Los Angeles Lakers17.00

Los Angeles Clippers 21.00

Cleveland Cavaliers 40.00

*Only Top 10 odds shown (see website

for full list)

Note: Odds are subject to change