Playoff Picture: Final Week, 9 Clinched, Pistons Lock Up #1 East

Five days. That's all that's left in the 2025-26 NBA regular season, and the playoff picture is far from settled.

Here's what we know: the Pistons have locked up the #1 seed in the East — a sentence that would've gotten you laughed out of any room two years ago. The Celtics, Knicks, and Cavaliers have also clinched Eastern Conference playoff spots. Out West, the Thunder, Spurs, Lakers, Nuggets, and Rockets are in. OKC holds a commanding three-game lead for the league's best record.

But the chaos is in the margins. In the East, just two games separate the 5th seed from the 9th seed. The Hawks, Raptors, 76ers, Hornets, Magic, and Heat are all scrambling. In the West, Portland, the Clippers, and Golden State are locked into the play-in, with Phoenix likely joining as the 7 seed.

The SoFi Play-In Tournament starts April 14. Playoffs tip off April 18. Every game this week matters.