Playoff seeds will finally be planted
Bucks can lock up No. 6 slot by winning finale
When the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers clash at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center, their matchup in the regularseason finale could be a playoff preview. As it stands, the Bucks are the No. 6 team in the East and the redhot 76ers — winners of 15 straight — are the No. 3 seed.
As simple as that may sound, it’s not necessarily the most likely outcome for the Bucks to stick around for an extended stay in Philadelphia. The Bucks could land anywhere from sixth to eighth and the 76ers can be third or fourth. Nothing will be settled until Wednesday night.
The simple situation for the Bucks is they control their own des-
tiny. Thanks to winning seven of their past 10 games, the Bucks are alone in sixth and with a victory Wednesday will stay there — thus holding on to the protected first-round pick they sent to the Phoenix Suns in the Eric Bledsoe trade. They could stay in sixth with a loss, but that would depend on what the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards do.
“It’s good, man,” Bledsoe said of the Bucks being alone in sixth. “I think we did a great job — a great, poor job — of dictating things like that. We lost games we should have won, but at the end of the day we’re here.”
Philadelphia, too, should have plenty to play for as it could keep hold of the No. 3 seed and thus station itself on the opposite side of the bracket from the topseeded Toronto Raptors and would-be fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.
Regardless of Wednesday’s outcome, the Bucks’ recent stretch has them feeling good about their prospects in the playoffs. They claimed their last two wins without all-star Giannis Antetokounmpo (right ankle soreness), which brought an added layer of confidence. It’s not clear if he will play Wednesday, but his teammates know he will be back soon and he certainly is expected to be at full strength for the playoffs.
The team is getting closer to full strength, too, which is a cause for positivity in the locker room.
“I think we’re getting Giannis back Wednesday, got Malcolm back (Monday), hopefully we can get (Matthew Dellavedova) back soon,” wing Khris Middleton said. “Guys are playing with confidence, guys are playing great together, we’ve got the defense, we think, figured out some.”
Here’s a look at all the possible playoff scenarios, tiebreakers and what could happen to Milwaukee’s 2018 first-round pick, which could convey to the Phoenix Suns depending on how things shake out.
Standings (entering Tuesday)
6. Milwaukee Bucks, 44-37
7. Miami Heat, 43-38, 1 game behind Bucks
8. Washington Wizards, 42-38, 11⁄2 games behind Bucks
Remaining games
Miami Heat: Wednesday vs. Toronto Raptors.
Washington Wizards: Late Tuesday vs. Boston Celtics, Wednesday at Orlando Magic.
Milwaukee Bucks: Wednesday at
Philadelphia 76ers.
What happens Wednesday?
The Bucks would clinch the sixth seed with a win over the 76ers. They could also stay in sixth with a loss Wednesday if the Heat loses its remaining game and the Wizards lose at least one of their remaining two games.
The Bucks would be the seventh seed with a loss against the 76ers along with a win by the Heat over the Toronto Raptors as well as the Wizards going 1-1 or 0-2 in their final games OR with a loss against the 76ers along with a loss by the Heat as well as the Wizards winning out.
The Bucks would fall to the eighth seed with a loss to the 76ers combined with both the Heat and Wizards winning out.
Tiebreaker scenarios
The Bucks would lose all tiebreakers among these three teams. Here’s a closer look at why:
If the Bucks tie with the Heat or Wizards for sixth, the Bucks lose the tiebreaker and finish seventh because the Heat or Wizards would be the winner of the Southeast Division.
If the Bucks, Heat and Wizards all tie, the Bucks would be slotted in the eighth spot. The Heat would be sixth as the Southeast Division winner due to their superior division record compared to the Wizards. Regardless of winning their division, the Heat would win the second tiebreaker, which is winning percentage in games among the tied teams. Miami was 3-0 vs. Milwaukee and 2-2 vs. Washington for a total record of 5-2 (.714). Washington split both series for a total record of 4-4 (.500).
Possible Bucks playoff matchups
If the Bucks finish sixth, they will face either the Cleveland Cavaliers or Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers are 50-30 and have the inside track to the No. 3 seed thanks to a win over the Cavaliers (5031) on Friday night. In the case of a tie, Cleveland would win the tiebreaker as the Central Division champion.
If the Bucks finish seventh, they would face the Boston Celtics.
If the Bucks finish eighth, they would face the Raptors. Toronto has clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference and has 59 wins heading into its season finale.
About that first-round pick ...
In the November trade that brought Bledsoe to Milwaukee and sent Greg Monroe to the Suns, the Bucks included a protected first-round pick. That pick will stay with the Bucks if it falls between pick Nos. 1-10 (impossible now that Bucks have qualified for the playoffs) or Nos. 17-30.
If the pick falls in the range of Nos. 1116, it will convey to the Suns this summer.
The only way to ensure the Bucks will keep their first-round pick is for them to finish sixth in the Eastern Conference. In that scenario, there will be two teams below Milwaukee in the standings, which would mean the Bucks’ firstround draft pick will not be Nos. 15 or 16.
The Bucks could also keep their firstround pick in the instance of a tie for sixth, which they have clinched at this point. However, in this scenario, keeping their pick will be up to chance. Teams with identical records have ties broken for playoff seeding, but those tiebreakers don’t apply to draft. Rather, the league breaks ties each spring to determine draft order with each tied team getting equal odds.
Thus, if the Bucks lose Wednesday and tie for sixth place with the Heat, Wizards or both, they would have to wait for the results of the tiebreaker to find out if they will keep their draft pick. In a two-way or three-way tie, the Bucks would “win” the tiebreaker by losing, with their ping-pong ball getting picked last and thus putting them at 17th. If it comes up first — or second in the case of a three-way tie — their pick would go to Phoenix.
If Milwaukee keeps its pick in 2018, Phoenix will get it in 2019 if it falls between 4 and 16. In 2020, the Bucks’ pick is only top-seven protected. If the Bucks keep their pick in each of those three seasons, it would become unprotected in 2021.