The regular season was a wild ride that finished with a sprint to the finish. Don't expect anything different from the NBA playoffs.
In the West, the New Orleans Pelicans shocked the San Antonio Spurs and shut the door on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now they have a date with the No. 1 seed Golden State Warriors as they attempt to win their second series since the franchise relocated to New Orleans.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference looks like a scrum between the haves and have-nots. Just five teams enter the playoffs with winning records as the Milwaukee Bucks finished 41-41 in the regular season at No. 6. That's a far cry from the West, where the Pelicans narrowly made it with 45 wins.
Before the first postseason tip takes place on Saturday, here's a look at the final standings, matchups and title odds.
Final Standings
| 2015 NBA Standings | |||
| Atlanta Hawks | 60 | 22 | 0.732 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 53 | 29 | 0.646 |
| Chicago Bulls | 50 | 32 | 0.610 |
| Toronto Raptors | 49 | 33 | 0.598 |
| Washington Wizards | 46 | 36 | 0.561 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 41 | 41 | 0.500 |
| Boston Celtics | 40 | 42 | 0.488 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 38 | 44 | 0.463 |
| Western | W | L | PCT |
| Golden State Warriors | 67 | 15 | 0.817 |
| Houston Rockets | 56 | 26 | 0.683 |
| L.A. Clippers | 56 | 26 | 0.683 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 51 | 31 | 0.622 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 55 | 27 | 0.671 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 55 | 27 | 0.671 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 50 | 32 | 0.610 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 45 | 37 | 0.549 |
| NBA.com | |||
First-Round Matchups
NBA @NBAThe #NBAPlayoffs Picture Is Set!
Championship Odds
| 2015 NBA Championship Odds | |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 11-5 |
| Golden State Warriors | 11-5 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 7-2 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 12-1 |
| Chicago Bulls | 12-1 |
| Houston Rockets | 16-1 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 18-1 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 28-1 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 40-1 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 40-1 |
| Toronto Raptors | 50-1 |
| Washington Wizards | 75-1 |
| Boston Celtics | 150-1 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 150-1 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 200-1 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 250-1 |
| Via OddsShark.com on April 16 at 4 p.m. ET. | |
Playoffs Breakdown
Take a quick look at the West standings. Now look back over to the East standings. Let's just say the West team that makes the NBA Finals will likely be more battle tested.
Last season, the Spurs survived as the No. 1 seed to make the Finals. In order for the Warriors to simply make it out of the first round, they'll have to take down the Pelicans and Anthony Davis. The third-year player has been an unstoppable force in the paint this season, via ESPN Stats & Info:
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfoAnthony Davis: 31 pts, 13 reb in last night's win. It was his 15th 30-10 game this season, 5 more than anyone else:
Golden State has an arduous task ahead of it even with a win over New Orleans. Facing either the Portland Trail Blazers or Memphis Grizzlies in the next round, the gauntlet won't get any easier.
Over on the East Coast, nobody is calling the Atlanta Hawks' or Cleveland Cavaliers' trip a gauntlet. Up until the two teams potentially face each other, some might call it a cakewalk.
But with the Boston Celtics fighting over the last month just to get into the playoffs, they might not be an easy out. Jared Sullinger spoke about where the team stands heading into the postseason, via the Celtics' official Twitter account:
Boston Celtics @celticsSullinger: "We gained some steam heading into playoff time. Hopefully we can hold on to that."
Despite their records, several teams in the East have the roster makeup to compete with the top teams. However, after the Cavs and Hawks closed strongly this year, both look like the class of the conference with a shot to make the NBA Finals.
Expect an all-out brawl in the West, while the East might be a two-horse race. With only one goal on the mind, however, each team will show why it deserves to still be playing in April and May. Buckle up, because it's about to be another wild ride in the playoffs.
