East playoff race still wide open behind top-seeded Pistons

While the Pistons have already locked up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, nearly everything else in the playoff picture remains unsettled entering the final week of the regular season.

Detroit secured the top spot despite losing franchise guard Cade Cunningham to a collapsed lung a few weeks back, but the rest of the conference standings are still in flux.

The Celtics are in position to claim the No. 2 seed, though they have yet to secure it officially. Behind them, the race between the Knicks and Cavaliers for the No. 3 and No. 4 spots could come down to the weekend.

The Hawks, currently sitting fifth, are likely to play a major role in how that race unfolds. Atlanta faces New York on Monday before a home-and-home set with Cleveland in the middle of the week. Those games could ultimately determine first-round pairings.

Further down the standings, the race for the final guaranteed playoff spot remains tight. The 76ers and Raptors are currently tied for sixth, with four games remaining.

In other words, every result over the next several days will carry real weight. It’s almost as if the playoffs have started already.

RELATED | Current playoff pairings by conference