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We were expecting this for quite some time. But the Wizards are now playoff bound!
The Wizards entered Friday’s game against the Nets with a “magic number” of three. They needed a combination of their own wins and losses by teams who are not officially eliminated in the playoff hunt in order to punch their playoff tickets.
The Wizards were blessed by getting their “magic number” before the weekend. First, they defeated the Nets earlier tonight, 129-108. In addition, the Detroit Pistons lost to the Orlando Magic, 115-87, while the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls 117-107.
With that, let’s take a look at the Playoff standings:
NBA Eastern Conference Standings after March 24, 2017
| Seed | Team | W | L | GB | Clinched Playoffs? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed | Team | W | L | GB | Clinched Playoffs? |
| 1 | Cavaliers | 47 | 24 | 0 | Yes |
| 2 | Celtics | 47 | 26 | 1 | Yes |
| 3 | Wizards | 44 | 28 | 3,5 | Yes |
| 4 | Raptors | 43 | 29 | 4,5 | |
| 5 | Hawks | 37 | 35 | 10,5 | |
| 6 | Bucks | 37 | 35 | 10,5 | |
| 7 | Pacers | 36 | 36 | 11,5 | |
| 8 | Heat | 35 | 37 | 12,5 | |
| T-9 | Bulls | 34 | 39 | 14 | |
| T-9 | Pistons | 34 | 39 | 14 |
The great news is that the Wizards are now officially in the playoffs no matter what happens! And if the regular season ended today, Washington will face the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
So, who else could the Wizards face in the first round?
Part of it depends on whether the Wizards finish, but it’s likely that they’ll be somewhere between the second and fifth seeds. With that mind, it’s unlikely that they’ll play the Cavaliers or Celtics in the first round.
Right now, it’s likely that they’ll end up playing the Hawks, Bucks, Pacers, or the rising Heat, who have made a remarkable turnaround of their own since January. And with the Bulls and Pistons losing tonight, it’s going to be tougher for them to make the postseason, since they’re probably fighting to sneak into the 8th seed at this point.
At any rate, it’s time to celebrate before tomorrow’s game against the Cavaliers.
THE WIZARDS ARE PLAYOFF BOUND ONCE AGAIN!