The final days before the globe receives a finalized NBA playoff bracket isn't anything close to boring.With a little more than a week left in the regular season, the expected Finals encounter between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers doesn't look like a guarantee for various reasons.The Eastern Conference still has three teams on the outside looking inand try to keep in mind even simply making the postseason is a big deal these days (ask Paul George if he wants to miss out and where he might go if he does). The Western Conference isn't as entertaining from a bubble standpoint, but the two there are teams most would love to see in the bracket.NBA Playoff StandingsPrintable bracket available at NBAPlayoffsBracket.com.Matchups That Will Change PictureCavaliers at Celtics (Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET)Those Cavaliers are the reason a Finals rematch doesn't look so hot.LeBron James hasn't been able to propel his crew much as of late, hence a second-place slot in the Eastern Conference and a 5-5 mark over the team's past 10 games. Those past 10 include a loss to the Chicago Bulls and needing double overtime to move past the Indiana Pacers.For James, the miserable month of March was one of the worst of his career, according to Elias Sports (via ESPN Stats & Info):The first-place Boston Celtics haven't had any such problems. Winners in eight of their last 10, Isaiah Thomas still averages 29.1 points per game and has the Celtics hitting full stride at just the right time.Wednesday's matchup between the two sides might cement the top seeds in the conference. The Cavaliers hold a 2-1 lead in the season series, though the two wins came by six points apiece and the loss by four.James put up 23 or more points in all three encounters with the Celtics so far, meaning he'll need another strong performance against a familiar foe to help reclaim the top seed. The Celtics evening the season series wouldn't just likely assure the top seedit would send a warning shot to the rest of the bracket.Raptors at Pacers (Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET)Boston's rise and the continued strong play of the Washington Wizards have the Toronto Raptors knocked down a peg.DeMar DeRozan has the Raptors hitting on a major run to close the season, which at least partially helps to compensate for the iffy overall campaign. Over his past 10 games, of which the Raptors have won eight, DeRozan has scored 40 or more points three times, seemingly saving his best for Eastern Conference hopefuls like Chicago, Miami and Indiana.Serge Ibaka recently shared some insight into DeRozan's overall impact on the Raptors, as captured by Holly MacKenzie of Raptors.com:The aforementioned George, of course, does the same thing for the Pacers. But as hinted, his future with the franchise might be up in the air if the team misses the playoffs outright.George's Pacers sit on the outside looking in after a 3-7 mark over their last 10. The stretch not only includes the loss to Clevelandbut other conference stalwarts like Toronto and Boston, not to mention struggling franchises like Minnesota and Philadelphia.The Raptors have won both meetings against the Pacers by double digits this season. Nailing down the season sweep would not only keep Washington away from the third seed, it would perhaps shuffle the known NBA landscape if George decides the small-market team isn't cutting it and he can't win a title there.Nuggets vs. Pelicans (Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET, and Friday, 9 p.m. ET)The Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans are two of the NBA's most interesting teams.It's too bad they're both on the fringe of the playoffs.Denver has only hit a .500 mark over its last 10, yet remains closer. It's a team thatfans should want to see in the postseason, as the Danilo Gallinari-Nikola Jokic combo is one of the year's best surprises, with the latter blowing up and hitting superstar status in his second year, averaging 16.5 points and 9.6 rebounds on 58.3 percent shooting.New Orleans, of course, is interesting because of the DeMarcus Cousins trade and his fit alongside Anthony Davis. Over 16 games with his new team, Cousins is averaging 24.0 points and 12.3 rebounds, making for a frontcourt perhaps capable of flustering any of the eight current playoff teams.These two have met once since the Cousins trade, and even without Cousins, the Pelicans cruised to a 115-90 decision with 31 points from Davis. It should go without saying, but two more encounters between these teams could decide which team sneaks in and grabs the eighth seed. New Orleans is at home Tuesday before the two play in Denver.And with the way both teams have improved as the season has progressed, neither would be a typical eighth seed willing to simply bow down after making the postseason bracket.All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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