The 2021 NBA Playoffs are scheduled to start on Saturday, May 22 and will end in the middle of July with the NBA Finals, and a lot is still yet to be determined as far as division winners, seeding, and the playoff teams themselves are concerned. At the lower half of each conference there are still several teams jockeying for position and hoping to make it into the Top 6 and avoid the play-in round, as the 7-10 seeds in each conference will compete in this pre-playoff set of games to determine the last two playoff spots in both the East and the West.

The top of the standings is a lot more straightforward, and while we still don’t know which teams will have home court advantage and what the matchups will be, it’s become clear who the NBA’s top title contenders are for the 2021 Playoffs. Three teams are at +500 or less -- the Nets (+240), the Lakers (+350), and the Clippers (+500) and while all three have dealt with significant injuries to their best players, these teams should all be healthy in a month when the playoffs begin. The second tier contenders -- Jazz (+700) and Bucks (+750) -- have had their divisions locked up for several weeks now, and are firmly in the mix to make an NBA Championship run as well. The odds start to fall off after this group, but the 76ers (+1200) and Suns (+2000) have both had impressive seasons and are both still in contention to wind up with the #1 seed in their respective conferences.

There’s still plenty of time for the tight races near the playoff bubble to sort themselves out, but a few teams seem to have distanced themselves from the pack and will likely avoid being part of a play-in game when the playoffs begin. The Knicks are now overwhelming favorites to earn a playoff spot after catching fire after the All-Star break, and the same is true for the Hawks who won two key games (vs. MIA, vs. MIL) without their star point guard Trae Young. The Grizzlies have rallied to put themselves squarely in the playoff picture, while the Warriors and especially the Pacers have had more difficult recent stretches. The Pacers in particular have been hit hard by injuries, and it’s opened the door for teams like the Hornets and perhaps even the Wizards to sneak their way into the postseason.