Mar 27, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) defends Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Updated Eastern Conference Playoff Standings: Teams, Seedings, and Matchups

Originally posted on Atlanta Hawks on SI
By Jackson Caudell | Last updated Mar 28, 2025 9:55 AM ET

The NBA is entering its final two week stretch before the playoff and play-in tournament matchups are finalized, but there is still a lot left to be decided, especially in the Eastern Conference.

At the top, Cleveland continues to close in on home-court advantage in the East and has a five game lead over the Boston Celtics heading into Friday's games. It is unlikely that they Cavs will relinquish their hold on the top spot and are almost certainly going to be the No. 1 seed.

Boston is comfortably at No. 2 and they are likely to remain there. They are five games behind Cleveland and 8.5 games ahead of the Knicks, who are at No. 3. The defending champs will still be the favorite to come out of the East despite not being the No. 1 seed.

The Knicks are in 3rd, but not as comfortably as Cleveland and Boston are in their spots. They have a 2.5 game lead on the Indiana Pacers and it is not a given that they finish ahead of them.

Spots 4-6 are as tight as it gets going down the stretch. The Pacers are currently 4th, two games ahead of the Pistons, who are in 5th, and 2.5 games ahead of the Bucks, who are in 6th. Milwaukee is dealing with injuries right now and does not seem likely to move up. There could be some shuffling still to happen, but the top six of Cleveland, Boston, New York, Indiana, Detroit, and Milwaukee is close to being set in some order.

The play-in race is getting interesting down the stretch. Atlanta currently holds the No. 7 spot, but only a half game ahead of the Magic, two games ahead of the Bulls, and three games ahead of Miami. Chicago has won their last four games, including an amazing comeback vs the Lakers last night. Miami had been playing poorly, but has found life down the stretch and has a favorable schedule right now.

Washington, Charlotte, and Brooklyn have been officially eliminated from playoff contention. While Philadelphia and Toronto are still technically alive in the race, they are close to being eliminated. The play-in teams are more or less set, but the order could certainly change over the next nine games.

Here is how the playoff matchups and play-in matchups would look if they started today.