NBA Playoff Picture: The scenarios at stake on season’s final day

The Heat have a chance to clinch the No. 3 seed with a win on Wednesday. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) It’s finally here. Nearly six months since the season tipped off in late October, the last night of the 2015-2016 NBA regular season will commence on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. While the day’s big stories are clearly the Warriors’ chance at 73 wins and Kobe Bryant’s final game, there are plenty of games with potential impact on the postseason’s participants and seeds. With that in mind, this installment of the Playoff Picture will focus primarily on all the scenarios at play on Wednesday rather than Tuesday’s result.

However, we should briefly run through the three games that mattered on Tuesday.

Heat 99, Pistons 93: The most important game of the night saw the Heat put themselves in position to clinch the East’s No. 3 seed with a win in their season finale. The teams played to a 50-50 standstill through the first half, but the Heat pulled it out in the second half behind 25 points from Joe Johnson (10-of-15 FG in full Iso Joe mode). The Pistons shot just 40.7 percent from the field, although their offensive struggles can be explained in part by Reggie Jackson’s absence due to an abdominal strain.

Pacers 102, Knicks 90: It took longer than expected, but Indiana defeated New York (in its season finale) with a strong defense effort. Down seven points after the first quarter, the Pacers held the Knicks to just 54 points in the final three quarters to pull away in the second half. The win combined with the Pistons loss to finalize both teams’ seeds — Indiana will come in at No. 7 and Detroit will round out the field at No. 8.

Clippers 110, Grizzlies 84: L.A. turned the final game of the night into a laugher, beating Memphis handily to ensure they will not draw each other in the first round. The Clippers shot 54.7 percent from the field and made 12-of-25 three-pointers as no player saw more than DeAndre Jordan’s 28 minutes. The Grizzlies continued their recent offensive woes with 40.7 percent shooting.

And here are the seeding issues at play on Wednesday:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Two series are set — the No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the No. 8 Detroit Pistons and the No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. the No. 7 Indiana Pacers. Everything else is very complicated.

Miami Heat

No. 3 if they beat the Celtics OR the Hawks lose to the Washington Wizards

No. 5 if they lose to the Celtics, the Hawks beat the Wizards, and the Hornets lose to the Orlando Magic

No. 6 if they lose to the Celtics, the Hawks beat the Wizards, and the Hornets beat the Magic

Atlanta Hawks

No. 3 if they beat the Wizards and the Heat lose to the Celtics

No. 4 if they lose to the Wizards OR the Heat beat the Celtics

Boston Celtics

No. 4 if they beat the Heat and the Hawks beat the Wizards

No. 5 if they lose to the Heat and the Hornets lose to the Magic OR they beat the Heat and the Hawks lose to the Wizards

No. 6 if they lose to the Heat and the Hornets beat the Magic

Charlotte Hornets

No. 5 if they beat the Magic and the Heat beat the Celtics OR if they beat the Magic, the Celtics beat the Heat, and the Hawks beat the Wizards

No. 6 if they lose to the Magic OR they beat the Magic, the Celtics beat the Heat, and the Hawks lose to the Wizards

WESTERN CONFERENCE

The top half — the No. 1 Golden State Warriors, No. 2 San Antonio Spurs, No. 3 Oklahoma City Thunder, and No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers — has been set for some time. Yet no first-round matchup is decided and one playoff berth remains up for grabs.

Portland Trail Blazers

No. 5 if they beat the Denver Nuggets OR the Mavericks lose to the Spurs

No. 6 if they lose to the Nuggets and the Mavericks beat the Spurs

Dallas Mavericks

No. 5 if they beat the Spurs and the Blazers lose to the Nuggets

No. 6 if they beat the Spurs and the Blazers beat the Nuggets OR they lose to the Spurs and the Grizzlies lose to the Warriors

No. 7 if they lose to the Spurs and the Grizzlies beat the Warriors

Memphis Grizzlies