There are still around 18 regular-season games left in the current NBA season, but if the season finished now four former champions would have been eliminated from the postseason.
As Eastern Conference leaders the Atlanta Hawks – the only team to have secured a playoff berth so far – and West leaders Golden State Warriors emerge as potential finalists. Former champions Miami Heat (28-35), Detroit Pistons (29-39), Boston Celtics (26-36) and the Los Angeles Lakers (16-46) would all struggle to jump into the playoffs spots.
It is too early to determine whether or not these former champions won’t make to the playoffs, but one thing is certain, they are racing against the clock.
If the regular-season had ended this past weekend then Atlanta (1st), Cleveland (2nd), Toronto (3rd), Chicago (4th), Washington (5th), Milwaukee (6th), Indiana (7th) and Charlotte (8th) would all have made to the postseason in the East.
In the West, Golden State (1st), Memphis (2nd), Houston (3rd), Portland (4th), Los Angeles Clippers (5th), Dallas (6th), San Antonio (7th) and Oklahoma (8th) would battle for glory.
It would be an interesting outcome and it could stay this way as the games count down.
As it stands now, the Hawks would open the postseason hosting the Charlotte Hornets, while the Warriors would play in front of their fans against the Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC).
Even though the Hawks and Hornets are currently tied (1-1), Atlanta has shown a lot more depth, with different solutions to get past the Hornets, whereas the Warriors and OKC would probably be a 7-game series.
Golden State won the regular-season series (3-1) over the Thunder, but those three wins happened before 5 January when the Thunder were outside the playoff spots and their star players were coming back from injuries.
On the 16th of January Durant poured in a game-high 36 points as OKC edged out the Warriors (127-115).
The Thunder, who opened the season without both the injured Durant and Westbrook, seem to be a transformed team in the last two months, and taking on the Warriors at this stage would be a dogfight.
In the East, the Cavaliers resurfaced from a poor start to the season and now sit second in the conference.
A hypothetical match-up against the Pacers would bring back memories from last season when a James-led Miami Heat needed to win game seven to beat Indiana, who currently lead the series 2-1, with the last regular-season game between the two coming up on the 20th of March.
Pacers swingman Paul George has been sidelined the entire season after suffering a gruesome leg injury last summer while practicing with the USA team that went on to win the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.
Although some have underestimated Memphis, Zack Randolph, Marc Gasol and guard Mike Conley have made strides in the West.
They would have taken on the reigning champions San Antonio if the playoff started now.
The Grizzlies have won two of their games against the Spurs this season, and will close the regular-season series in San Antonio on the 29th of March.
The ageing Spurs can’t be ruled out just because of their inconsistent season, but taking on a high-flying Grizzlies at this stage would have been a tough challenge for the champions.
The Bucks would be paired with Raptors and the Bulls would take on the Wizards in the East.
In the West, there would be a Texan match-up between Houston and Dallas and the Trail Blazers would have come against the Clippers.
Injuries have played a big part in the current season, and it has affected many contending teams this season.
Derrick Rose (Chicago), Kobe Bryant (Lakers), Wesley Matthews (Portland) and Chris Bosh (Miami) have suffered season-ending injuries, and as a result their teams face unpredictable futures for the remainder of the season.
Clippers forward Blake Griffin is expected to return to action before the playoff.
Reigning MVP Kevin Durant is currently sidelined with a foot injury, leaving Russell Westbrook – the league leading scorer – to lead OKC, who seem just as strong even without Durant in the line-up. Injuries will definitely influence the way teams compete during the playoffs.
