NBA

NBA Playoff Race Update: Miami Holding On in the East

It's a five-team race for the final three playoff spots in the East, and the Heat are hanging onto the eighth seed.

Welcome to our weekly update of the NBA playoff picture.

Each week, we'll explore each team's playoff probability (based on our algorithm), divide each conference into different tiers of playoff hopefulness, and then discuss any movement among the teams from week to week.

The tiers are as follows:

Sure Things
These are teams with a playoff probability of 99% or more. These teams would need to have the meltdown of the century to miss out on the playoffs.

Bubble Teams
These are the teams that have a decent to very good chance of making the playoffs but still need to earn their spot and hold off other teams to get there.

Dead or Dying
These teams will need a miracle to make the playoffs or have already been eliminated.

Now, let's get into it.