The Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons are in a battle for the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference, as both teams hope to avoid the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.
The Indiana Pacers have clinched a playoff spot, but who they face in the first round is still the big question.
Currently, the Pacers and Pistons both sport 43-39 records, with Indiana holding the tiebreaker thanks to winning the season series.
That leaves two games left for the two to sort out who will avoid the Cavaliers and face the Toronto Raptors in the first round, but outside of Indiana’s edge with the tiebreaker, who is favored to grab the 7th spot?
NBA Eastern Conference Standings | PointAfter
For Indiana, they host the New York Knicks on Tuesday before heading north to play the Milwaukee Bucks in the season finale on Wednesday. For Detroit, it is the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers on their docket.
More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds
- 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
- Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
- 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
- 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
- Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?
Just looking at the teams they’ll face, you might think the Pacers have the advantage. Indiana is 2-0 against the Knicks this season and 2-1 against the Bucks. While both of their opponents are out of the playoff picture, that doesn’t mean Indiana is guaranteed anything either. Facing Milwaukee on the second night of a back-to-back is no simple task as the Pacers have a 6-10 record in games with no rest.
The Pistons may have an easier schedule than it looks. While the Heat has playoff seating to play for, the Cleveland Cavaliers have locked in the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Will their starters play at all in the season finale? We don’t know, but I can’t imagine that they’ll be playing their usual minutes. For what it is worth, the Pistons are 2-1 against both the Heat and Cavaliers.
The way things play out tonight with Indiana and hosting the Knicks and Detroit playing the Heat will obviously clear up the picture if either the Pacers or Pistons lose.
Detroit Pistons 2015-16 Playoff Outlook | PointAfter
If the Pistons lose and the Pacers win, that would give Indiana the necessary wiggle room on the final day of the season. They could only tie with Detroit at that point, which means they’d lock up the 7th seed, something Playoffstatus.com gives them an 85% chance of doing.
Next: C.J. Miles Is Shooting the Lights Out
If Indiana can take care of business tonight and get a little help from Miami, they can start getting ready for the Raptors. However with the way Indiana has struggled with consistency and closing out teams, the race for the 7th seed may go into the final night of the season.