The NBA Eastern Conference playoff race received some clarity on Saturday as the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks clinched postseason berths.However, the East's remaining two spots are still undecided, as the Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are all in the mix.Furthermore, no team has clinched its playoff position yet. Most notably, the No. 1 seed is still up for grabs.Here's a look at the dates for each NBA playoff round as well as some Eastern Conference playoff race notes following Saturday's games.Eastern Conference NotesIndiana Moves One Step Closer to a Playoff BerthAfter losing six of seven games, the Pacers have won three straight and are in good shape to clinch a playoff spot.Indiana, which holds the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, is one game ahead of Chicago and Miami with two left to play.The Pacers' schedule is manageable, as they have a date at the Philadelphia 76ers, who have lost their last six games, before returning home to face the Hawks.Indiana's problem is that it doesn't have the tiebreaker over Chicago or Miami, so it's imperative that the Pacers win out to secure that berth.Chicago and Miami Neck and Neck for 8th SeedOn January 13, Miami was 11-30 after losing to Milwaukee, capping a 2-13 record over its previous 15 games. Even in the top-heavy Eastern Conference, it looked very unlikely that the Heat would even come close to contending for a playoff spot.However, after a 106-103 win over Washington on Saturday night, Miami is tied with Chicago for eighth place in the East with two games to go.The Bulls have the tiebreaker over Miami and games left with Brooklyn and Orlando, teams with a combined 48-112 record. On paper, Chicago should coast into the postseason, but the Bulls have been up and down all year and just lost to Brooklyn on Saturday night.Meanwhile, Miami has tough matchups with Cleveland and Washington to close the regular season.The edge for the eighth seed still goes to Chicago since it has the tiebreaker and easier schedule, but there is no guarantee that the Bulls will have a postseason spot.The Race for the No. 1 SeedThe Boston Celtics moved within a half-game of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 1 seed with a 121-114 win over Charlotte on Saturday.Cleveland holds the tiebreaker over Boston by virtue of winning their season series, but the Cavs played poorly in a 114-100 loss at home to Atlanta on Friday.The Cavs are limping into the playoffs, sporting an 11-12 record in their last 23 games. Furthermore, Cleveland closes the regular season against that same Atlanta team on the road in addition to matchups versus a desperate Miami team and Toronto, which is third in the East.Boston will play home games against Brooklyn and Milwaukee, and it's hard seeing the C's dropping either considering they are 28-11 at home, while the Bucks and Nets are 19-21 and 7-32 on the road, respectively.Therefore, the Cavs are likely going to have to find a way to win two of those three tough games in order to obtain home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.
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