After the Suns became the first team to lock up a playoff berth with 17 games still remaining, the Spurs, Mavericks, and Lakers in the West, along with the Bulls, Heat, and Celtics in the East, followed one after another and secured their playoff spots.
Time flew by.
Now, there were only about three days left before the regular season ended.
As for the Suns, they had long since shifted into playoff preparation mode and were no longer chasing wins as aggressively. After beating the Grizzlies twice in a row, they lost three of their following games.
Now, they had only one final matchup left against the Timberwolves.
Of course, what they gained was George integrating better into the team, allowing this new Suns lineup to build better chemistry in the shortest possible time.
At the same time, the starters were getting occasional rest, their minutes had already been reduced, and they were being given enough time to recover.
All of it... was for the playoffs.
Setting aside the Suns, who had already locked up first place in the West, at this point... because of scheduling, some teams had already completed all 82 regular-season games, some had one game left, and a few still had two.
Now, in the Western Conference, the teams that had already clinched playoff spots were the Suns, Spurs, Mavericks, Lakers, Thunder, and Nuggets.
And their rankings would not change.
In the Eastern Conference, the teams that had already clinched playoff spots and whose rankings would not change were the Bulls, Heat, Celtics, Magic, Hawks, Knicks, and 76ers.
That meant, over the final three days, everyone's attention fell on the following teams.
In the West, with Zach Randolph back, the Grizzlies fought hard through the final stretch, clawed back their disadvantage, and returned to eighth place in the conference.
At the moment, their record was 46-35.
The seventh-place Trail Blazers were 46-34. Although they led by half a game, the Trail Blazers still had two games left.
Wins and losses would affect the standings.
The ninth-place Hornets were also 46-35. However... because they had lost to the Grizzlies three times this season, they were temporarily ninth due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.
And interestingly enough, the Hornets and Grizzlies, each with one game remaining, happened to face each other next. It also happened to be the fourth meeting between the two teams this season.
Whoever won would have the last laugh.
In addition, the tenth-place Rockets were 45-35, but they still had two games left. If they won both, they still had a chance to push into the top eight.
In short, for the Trail Blazers, Grizzlies, Hornets, and Rockets, whether they made the playoffs would depend heavily on the results of the next one or two games.
Over in the East, things were slightly better than in the West, but... until the regular season was fully finished, the eighth seed still could not be settled.
The Pacers, at 37-45, were temporarily eighth in the East.
But the Bucks, at 36-45, were temporarily ninth. The Pacers had already played all 82 games, so their record was fixed.
For the Bucks, if they won their next game, their record would become 37-45, the same as the Pacers. And in the season series between the two teams, the Bucks led 3-1.
In other words, as long as the Bucks won their next game, even with the same record as the Pacers, they would jump ahead because of their head-to-head advantage.
The bad news was that their next opponent was... the Miami Heat.
The Bucks were both passive and active at the same time.
Whether they could make the playoffs all depended on how much strength they could unleash against the Heat.
Soon, the playoff race, already near its end yet still white-hot, began.
First came the Trail Blazers. With two games remaining, their first opponent was the struggling Timberwolves. Aldridge joined forces with Matthews, Andre Miller, and "B-Roy".
They came out in one breath and blew out the Timberwolves in three quarters, taking the first win.
However, even so, they still could not relax. If the Grizzlies won and the Trail Blazers lost their next game, the two teams would still have the same record.
And in the season series, the two teams were tied.
At that point, who would rank higher would be hard to say. To avoid that kind of uncertainty, the Trail Blazers had to win their next game as well.
But before that, the Rockets' matchup with the Thunder began. The Rockets, who absolutely had to win, battled the "Thunder Trio" all the way until the final three minutes of the fourth quarter.
However.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
In the clutch, Durant scored 4 straight points with a drive and a mid-range jumper, killing the game and erasing the Rockets' chance of making the playoffs.
That was right.
After losing the game, the Rockets still had one matchup left. But even if they won it, they could no longer climb to eighth in the West. At most, if the Hornets lost, the Rockets could finish ninth.
But that would be useless.
The Rockets were eliminated from playoff contention early.
...
The next day.
The most important showdown, Grizzlies versus Hornets, began. With the two teams holding the same record, whoever won would directly lock up a playoff spot.
The "Black and White Bears" versus the "Point God."
From the very beginning, the game was fierce. There was plenty of contact, plenty of drives to the rim, and plenty of fouls. Their desperate hunger to win had turned into a thick fighting spirit.
For a time, the battle was brutal, and the tension on the court was heavy.
By halftime, the steadier Grizzlies held a 5-point advantage thanks to their powerful defense.
After returning in the second half, Conley and Roy each completed a 2+1, directly stretching the lead to 11 points. At the same time... back-to-back 2+1 plays also irritated the Hornets players.
On the court, the already thick tension became even more suffocating, as if one stray spark could set the whole place off.
In the end, with 1:16 left in the third quarter, Paul drove into the paint and made physical contact with Randolph. After being knocked to the floor, Paul finally erupted.
The Grizzlies' Marc Gasol, Randolph, and Arthur, along with the Hornets' Paul, West, and Ariza, began shoving one another. A full-scale fight looked like it was about to break out.
Fortunately, the referees and other players stepped in quickly and separated them, preventing the conflict from escalating any further.
"Beep, beep!"
Several whistles sounded.
In the end, the referees gave Marc Gasol, Randolph, Arthur, Paul, West, and Ariza one technical foul each, six in total.
"Wow..."
At the commentary desk.
Jon Barry exclaimed, "Six technicals handed out at once in one game. That really is rare."
"That's right."
Mark Jackson nodded, then said loudly, "There's no way around it. This game is just too important for both teams.
"A win means the playoffs.
"A loss means the season is over early.
"Everyone wants to win, and it's exactly because they want it so badly that every basket and every point matters so much. That's why they're this sensitive.
"Tsk, tsk...
"No matter how you look at it, this matchup is every bit as intense as a playoff game. It's incredible.
"So who will have the last laugh?!"