That and more in Wednesday's NBA newsletter.
Good morning. Let's end this regular season of basketball.
PACE YOURSELVES: The Indiana Pacers needed two overtimes, but they beat the Wizards on Tuesday to take control of their own destiny heading into Wednesday. If Indiana beats the Grizzlies on the final day of the season, they earn the No. 8 seed and will face the Hawks in the first round. The Pacers are also in if the Nets lose to the Magic. Brooklyn needs to win and see Lionel Hollins' old team beat Indiana in order to get in.
Brooklyn-Orlando tips at 8 p.m. ET, and Indiana-Memphis tips at 9:30 p.m. ET. Should be thrilling.
WE HAVE A SERIES: Boston won on Tuesday, giving us are first set-in-stone matchup of the first round: the Celtics vs. the Cavaliers. The LeBron-Jae Crowder rivalry gets real.
THE RACE FOR 3: Toronto can still win the No. 3 seed in the East by beating the Hornets and seeing the Hawks beat the Bulls. The Bulls just need a win to take it. The No. 3 seed faces Milwaukee in Round 1 and likely Cleveland in Round 2. The No. 4 seed gets the Wizards and likely the Hawks.
OUT WEST: The Clippers shredded the Suns in their season finale, which sets L.A. up to likely be the No. 3 seed. Here are the scenarios for the No. 2-6 seeds, with the caveat that Portland is the No. 4 and will not have home court advantage.
IF SAN ANTONIO WINS: It is the No. 2 seed and L.A. is the No. 3 seed. Houston could clinch No. 5 with a win or Memphis loss.
IF SAN ANTONIO LOSES: Houston can clinch No. 2 with a win, which would put L.A. in No. 3. Memphis would take No. 5 with a win in that case, sending S.A. to No. 6. If Memphis also lost, S.A. would be No. 5 and the Grizzlies No. 6.
IF SAN ANTONIO AND HOUSTON BOTH LOSE: L.A. is the No. 2 seed. If Memphis wins in this case, it is the No. 3 seed, San Antonio is No. 5 and Houston is No. 6. If Memphis also loses, San Antonio would be No. 3, Houston No. 5 and Memphis No. 6.
Of course, there's also that small matter of the No. 8 seed. The Pelicans clinch it with a win over the Spurs. The Thunder need to beat the Wolves and see the Pels fall to nab it. Both games tip at 8 p.m. ET.
THE MOST IMPORTANT GAME OF ALL: Miami only keeps its pick if it is in the top 10. If it falls No. 11 or later, it goes to Philadelphia. Miami is eliminated from playoff contention. They currently have the 10th worst record in basketball. If the Heat lose on Wednesday, they will almost assuredly keep their pick. If they win and the Nets lose, there's a 50-50 chance (literally a coin flip) the Heat would give up their pick to Philly.
So Miami wins and it potentially loses its pick to the Sixers. Miami loses and it keeps its pick. Here's the kicker: Miami is playing against Philly in the finale. Both teams, we presume, want badly to lose, Miami so it keeps the pick and Philly so that Miami wins and potentially gives it up. The NBA, ladies and gentlemen.
HAVE A CHART: I made some charts for the playoffs. Hey, did you know THE SPURS have been real, real good lately?
THIS WILL END WELL: Thabo Sefolosha released a brief statement on Tuesday. The main takeaway: he accuses the NYPD of breaking his ankle.
YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH: Jackie MacMullen gets Paul Pierce to open up about his experience in Brooklyn, and man, The Truth has a lot to say and none of it is very flattering.. I'm pretty sure Pierce and Deron Williams have to fight now.
HOW A SHY RUSSIAN SAVED THE CAVALIERS: Excellent piece on Timofey Mozgov's impact on Cleveland from Yaron Weitzman.
WEEP FOR OUR LOGOS: Seth Rosenthal wonders what happened to all of the happy, clothed animals in our NBA logos?
COOL STORY, STEPH: Stephen Curry hit 77 straight threes in practice. Seventy-seven. Whatever, I could totally do that in Wii Sports Resort. (I could not even do that in Wii Sports Resort.)
FINAL MVP RANKINGS: Jason Patt has been doing a wonderful job on our MVP Rankings all season, and his final pick is ... Kris Humphries! What an upset! No, just kidding, it's The Chef.
WHOA: Ivan Rabb, a top 2016 prospect who is going to Cal, grew up literally across the street from Damian Lillard in Oakland. Lillard was in high school when he noticed Rabb, who was much taller than the kids he was playing with. Now he's a mentor to him.
INGENIUS: Nate Silver's lottery fix is ... actually rather ingenius. However it still incentivizes getting as many losses as possible. And that's the problem!
GLASS JAWS: Bethlehem Shoals wonders if the No. 1 seeds are all they're cracked up to be.
Happy Finale Day! See you IN THE PLAYOFFS. (More accurately, I'll see you in the short break between the regular season and the playoffs.)
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