After the dust has settled on a crazy set of Western Conference games, where do the teams sit, and are the Memphis Grizzlies still the eighth seed?
While the first games in the bubble series for these teams went pretty much as expected, the second game for the bottom West teams were completely wild. The Memphis Grizzlies were edged out by the San Antonio Spurs, the New Orleans Pelicans were routed by the LA Clippers, and the Sacramento Kings took a humiliating defeat to the Orlando Magic, just to name a few.
So, after the craziness of the last few days, and now that the dust has settled, where does everyone stand?
In a normal season, this race for the eighth would have everything hanging on it: playoffs, an extended season, more money; but this season it’s almost a little less important. The eighth seed will still have to fight for their playoff life in a play-in game against the ninth seed if the difference between the two is four games or less. While there’s a chance that won’t happen in the West, it’s almost guaranteed that it will.
Still, the eighth seed this season presents its own benefit. For one, you have the opportunity to complain about being the only eighth seed to not make the playoffs if you lose (something I’m sure no fanbase would ever do). But for another, the eighth seed would only need to win one play-in game, whereas the ninth seed would need to win two.
So, with playoff stakes still very much on the line, where does everyone sit?