— -- Seven of the eight playoff spots have been clinched, and we'll find out who the No. 8 team is later today when Detroit clashes with Charlotte at 2 ET (ESPN2). The winner of that game secures the East's final playoff spot, though the conference's seeds are completely up in the air. Here's how the East seeds will shape up, depending on Sunday's results:
Detroit-Charlotte winner will be the third or fourth seed; loser eliminated
Connecticut will be the No. 1 seed if it defeats Indiana
If Connecticut loses, the Washington-New York winner will be first in the East
Neither Detroit or Charlotte can finish first or second
Connecticut will finish first, second or third
Washington will finish first, second or fourth
New York can finish anywhere, first, second, third or fourth In the West, Los Angeles is No. 1, followed by second-seeded Seattle. Minnesota and Sacramento are fighting for the No. 3 spot (Sacramento eliminated Phoenix on Saturday), and the tiebreaker between Minnesota and Sacramento will come down to each team's record against teams that finish at or above .500. However, the only scenario that has Sacramento passing Minnesota in record vs. teams at or above .500 is a Sacramento win, a Charlotte win, and a Houston win today. Minnesota will likely be the third seed (facing Seattle in the first round), while Sacramento would be No. 4, and face Los Angeles.
