We are coming down the stretch in the NBA season, and there is one possible scenario in the Western Conference that could result in absolute chaos. It is a six-way tie scenario between the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder. All of those teams would need to finish at 41-41. Let's break it down.
The tiebreaker scenarios can be confusing, so here's a look at them to get a grasp of what could happen. These are the rules, according to Andrew Lopez and Matt Williams:
Tiebreaker 1: Win percentage in games played among the tied teams
Tiebreaker 2: Division leader wins tie over non-division leaders
Tiebreaker 3: Division win percentage, if tied teams are in the same division
Tiebreaker 4: Conference win percentage
Tiebreaker 5: Win percentage against conference teams eligible for the playoffs
Tiebreaker 6: Point differential
The scenario involves the Timberwolves beating the Pelicans on Sunday to reach the record of 41-41. New Orleans would be the five seed due to having an 11-6 record against the other five teams, according to Lopez and Williams. The scenario also involves the Lakers beating the Clippers on Wednesday. The Lakers and Pelicans would have 10-8 records against the five other teams, and the Lakers have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Pelicans. The Lakers would have the six seed and the Pelicans would take the seven seed.
The scenario also involves the Thunder beating the Warriors on Tuesday, but the Warriors would still be the number eight seed while the Thunder would be the nine seed. The Clippers would round it out as the 10 seed.
It is a complicated scenario, but with how condensed the standings are in the Western Conference, this, along with a number of other wild outcomes are possible.
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