The 2012 NBA Playoffs are rapidly approaching, and the Denver Nuggets find themselves in a heated battle with the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns for the final four spots in the Western Conference bracket. Everything is up in the air in the bottom part of the bracket, as the Nuggets are currently in a three-way tie with the Mavs and Rockets for the No. 6 slot, and underdeveloped tiebreakers put Denver at No. 8 right now, but the Suns and Jazz are desperately trying to get in the tournament.
Here is a look at the Western Conference playoff standings heading into Thursday's slate of games:
| WESTERN | W | L | PCT | GB | CONF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y - Oklahoma City Thunder | 42 | 16 | 0.724 | - | 29-11 |
| 2 | x - San Antonio Spurs | 40 | 16 | 0.714 | 1 | 26-13 |
| 3 | LA Lakers | 37 | 22 | 0.627 | 5.5 | 28-13 |
| 4 | LA Clippers | 35 | 23 | 0.603 | 7 | 24-18 |
| 5 | Memphis Grizzlies | 34 | 23 | 0.596 | 7.5 | 22-20 |
| 6 | Dallas Mavericks | 32 | 26 | 0.552 | 10 | 22-20 |
| 7 | Houston Rockets | 32 | 26 | 0.552 | 10 | 21-20 |
| 8 | Denver Nuggets | 32 | 26 | 0.552 | 10 | 17-24 |
| Utah Jazz | 31 | 28 | 0.525 | 11.5 | 21-21 | |
| Phoenix Suns | 30 | 28 | 0.517 | 12 | 20-20 |
Here is a rundown of the relevant tie-breaker rules (via NBA.com):
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a. Two Teams Tied |
b. More Than Two Teams Tied |
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(1) Better winning percentage in games against each other. |
(1) Better winning percentage in all games among the tied teams. |
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(2) Better winning percentage against teams in own conference. |
(2) Better winning percentage against teams in own conference. |
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(3) Better winning percentage against teams eligible for playoffs in own conference (including teams that finished the regular season tied for a playoff position). |
(3) Better winning percentage against teams eligible for playoffs in own conference (including teams that finished the regular season tied for a playoff position). |
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(4) Better winning percentage against teams eligible for playoffs in opposite conference (including teams that finished the regular season tied for a playoff position). |
(4) Better net result of total points scored less total points allowed against all opponents ("point differential"). |
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(5) Better net result of total points scored less total points allowed against all opponents ("point differential"). |
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