While the Cleveland Cavaliers won't be taking the hardwood on Wednesday, their spot in the playoffs could be secured, all the same.
According to the NBA, the Cavaliers can clinch a playoff berth with a Philadelphia 76ers loss on Wednesday.
The Cavs (47-29) had already secured a post-season spot, currently sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference. And now, should Philadelphia lose, it would mean that Cleveland could drop no lower than sixth moving forward.
Although that won't be the simplest of scenarios, as the Sixers visit the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Washington (17-58) sits second-last in the East and enters the matchup riding a three-game skid, leaving seventh-seeded Philadelphia (41-34) as a reasonable favourite going into the contest.
As for the Cavaliers, should the Wizards pull off the upset, it would secure the franchise's fourth consecutive playoff appearance. Cleveland is still looking to make it beyond the Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2017-18, when they lost in the NBA Finals — capping a run of four straight trips to the last round of the playoffs.
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Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks have all secured playoff berths already as the Eastern Conference's Nos. 1 to 3 seeds, in that order. Below Cleveland, there is a logjam of teams vying for seeds five and six. The Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, 76ers, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets occupy spots five through 10 and are separated by just three games with less than two weeks of regular-season action remaining.
Only the first six seeds in each conference are guaranteed a spot in the first round of the playoffs. Teams seeded seven through 10 will compete in the Play-In tournament to earn the seventh and eighth spots.
The Play-In tournament begins on April 14 and the playoffs start on April 18.
