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At long last, the 2022-23 NBA regular season has come to an end, and the playoffs are officially upon us.
Even on the final day, there was a ton of important action, as a few of Sunday's season finales had significant ramifications on the postseason seeding in the Western Conference.
Here's a look at how things fell into place, as well as a breakdown of the playoff bracket.
Eastern Conference Standings
1. Milwaukee Bucks (58-24)
2. Boston Celtics (57-25)
3. Philadelphia 76ers (54-28)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31)
5. New York Knicks (47-35)
6. Brooklyn Nets (45-37)
7. Miami Heat (44-38)
8. Atlanta Hawks (41-41)
9. Toronto Raptors (41-41)
10. Chicago Bulls (40-42)
11. Indiana Pacers (35-47)
12. Washington Wizards (35-47)
13. Orlando Magic (34-48)
14. Charlotte Hornets (27-55)
15. Detroit Pistons (17-65)
Western Conference Standings
1. Denver Nuggets (53-29)
2. Memphis Grizzlies (51-31)
3. Sacramento Kings (48-34)
4. Phoenix Suns (45-37)
5. Los Angeles Clippers (44-38)
6. Golden State Warriors (44-38)
7. Los Angeles Lakers (43-39)
8. Minnesota Timberwolves (42-40)
9. New Orleans Pelicans (42-40)
10. Oklahoma City Thunder (40-42)
11. Dallas Mavericks (38-44)
12. Utah Jazz (37-45)
13. Portland Trail Blazers (33-49)
14. Houston Rockets (22-60)
15. San Antonio Spurs (22-60)
Eastern Conference Play-in
No. 8 Atlanta Hawks at No. 7 Miami Heat (winner plays No. 2 Boston Celtics in first round)
No. 10 Chicago Bulls at No. 9 Toronto Raptors (winner visits Hawks/Heat loser to play for the No. 8 seed)
Eastern Conference First Round
No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 seed
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 seed
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 New York Knicks
Western Conference Play-in
No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves (winner plays No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies)
No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans vs. No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder (winner visits Lakers/Timberwolves loser to play for the No. 8 seed)
Western Conference First Round
No. 1 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 8 seed
No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 7 seed
No. 3 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 6 Golden State Warriors
No. 4 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers
The early slate of games belonged to the Eastern Conference, where teams decided to enjoy a relaxing Sunday. Four of the top six seeds in the East suffered losses as most of the top players took the day off.
Still, the New York Knicks falling 141-136 to the Indiana Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers losing 106-95 to the Charlotte Hornets stood out as particularly ugly heading into the postseason.
The excitement picked up as the matchups in the West got underway. The defending-champion Golden State Warriors made a statement by scoring an NBA-record 55 points in the first quarter on their way to a 157-101 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Thanks to the Los Angeles Clippers' win over the Phoenix Suns, the Warriors are locked into the sixth seed and will face the Sacramento Kings in the first round. The Suns and Clippers will meet again for a seven-game series in the No. 4-No. 5 matchup.
The Los Angeles Lakers faced a test from a Utah Jazz team that was without most of its regular rotation, but LeBron James put on a show at Crypto.com Arena with 36 points to spearhead a 128-117 victory. Still, Los Angeles is locked into the play-in tournament at the No. 7 seed.
There were significant play-in implications in the matchup between the New Orleans Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves, but the unexpected fireworks on the Timberwolves bench were undoubtedly the most surprising moment of the day. Rudy Gobert threw a punch at Kyle Anderson and was later sent home from the game, while Jaden McDaniels fractured his hand by punching a wall.
It's pretty jarring to see a team fighting for postseason position implode at such a crucial time, but the Timberwolves didn't crumble from those incidents. After trailing by as many as 14 in the game, Minnesota fought back to win 113-108. Maybe Timberwolves legend Kevin Garnett was on to something when he tweeted, "Nothing like a light scuffle to tighten up the screws before the playoffs!"
The win allowed Minnesota to jump New Orleans for the No. 8 spot to set up a play-in matchup against the Lakers. The Pelicans will face the 10th-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who earned a confidence-boosting 15-point win over the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
They all will have to go through the top-seeded Denver Nuggets, who toppled the No. 3 Sacramento Kings to close out the season.
With all the chaos down the stretch, it can be expected that this year's playoffs will provide some unforgettable moments.
