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Playoff Scenarios To Watch For Wednesday Night

Rowan Kavner

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. - The Clippers’ regular season has wrapped up, but they can still play one of four different teams in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Wednesday night’s batch of games will determine the Clippers’ opening opponent, with the Grizzlies, Rockets, Spurs and Mavericks still possibilities. The Clippers plan on getting around a television to watch what unfolds tonight, as they wait to see if they’re the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the playoffs.

To get the No. 2 seed, the Clippers need the Spurs to lose to the Pelicans and the Rockets to lose to the Jazz. If that happens, the Clippers play the Mavericks in the first round. Otherwise, the Clippers will be the No. 3 seed.

The Spurs and Rockets both start their games at 5 p.m. PT. The Grizzlies, who could end up the Clippers’ first-round opponent, play at 6:30 p.m. PT against the Pacers.

“We’ve got to kind of wait and see,” said Matt Barnes. “We did everything we could down the stretch to position ourselves in the best possible position.”

The Clippers won 14 of their final 15 games, guaranteeing themselves at least home court in the first round.

“We’re as ready as we can be,” said head coach Doc Rivers. “We’re healthy, we’ve finished the season on a nice run…That’s all you can ask for. I know, like everyone else knows, even though we ended that way, Game 1 is new. Now the season’s all over again, and you have to get ready.”

For an overview, here are the circumstances for the Clippers heading into the last night of a wild regular season finish in the Western Conference:

No. 2 seed scenario

The Clippers play the Mavericks in the first round if …

  • Spurs and Rockets lose

No. 3 seed scenarios

The Clippers play the Grizzlies in the first round if ...

  • Spurs, Rockets and Grizzlies all win
  • Spurs and Rockets win, Grizzlies lose
  • Spurs win, Rockets and Grizzlies lose
  • Rockets win, Spurs and Grizzlies lose

The Clippers play the Spurs in the first round if …

  • Rockets and Grizzlies win, Spurs lose

The Clippers play the Rockets in the first round if …

  • Spurs and Grizzlies win, Rockets lose