Unprecedented Situation
As the NBA regular season reaches its final day tomorrow, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets currently lead the pack with identical records, marking the first time in NBA history that three teams in a division have the same record entering the 82nd regular-season game, all vying for the top seed.
Final Showdowns
In the last game, the Thunder will face the Dallas Mavericks, who have already secured their seeding, at home. The Timberwolves will host the Phoenix Suns, who are still fighting for the 6th seed in the West. Meanwhile, the Nuggets will play on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies, who are currently third from the bottom in the West, having lost their last four games.
Tiebreaker Scenarios
If the records remain tied at the end of the last game day, the tiebreaker will be based on the winning percentage in all games between the three teams. The Thunder would have the advantage in ranking, followed by the Timberwolves, and then the Nuggets.
However, if only two teams are tied for the lead, the Timberwolves would have the advantage in comparison to either the Thunder or the Nuggets. The Thunder would only have the advantage over the Nuggets. For the Timberwolves, the good news also includes the return of Karl-Anthony Towns before the end of the regular season. After contributing 11 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds in his return game yesterday, he stated, “Having so much time to look at the team from different angles makes me understand better how I can help the team in the game and make the biggest impact.”
Disappointment for the Nuggets
The Nuggets lost their initiative after a surprising defeat to the San Antonio Spurs, who have the worst record in the Western Conference. Now, if they want to secure the top seed in the West, they not only need to win their own game but also rely on both other teams to lose. Otherwise, they will most likely end up as the 3rd seed in the West.
Regarding this, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said, “Yeah, it’s disappointing, really disappointing. We had control of our destiny, but what we accomplished on Wednesday, we just gave back tonight. The game against Minnesota, the players were focused, they were serious, but tonight, I don’t think we had that same attitude. We had a chance to go after the top seed, and now we’re most likely going to be the 3rd seed.” (Panalo999)