The Western Conference already has six teams who've clinched their playoff berth in the upcoming 2012 NBA playoffs. The Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets have one week to clinch one of the final two playoff berths. The Nuggets have the best record amongst these teams at 34-28. The Suns control their own destiny as two of their final three games are against the Nuggets and Jazz. The Jazz will finish the season with three home games (where they're 22-8). The Rockets have the easiest schedule with games against the Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Hornets.
The following are the schedules for the Nuggets, Suns, Jazz and Rockets as of April 20. The format is represented as "Date: Opponent (opponent record, time, network). All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST). Home games are italicized. Bold dates will indicate a crucial playoff contest between two of these teams.
Denver Nuggets (34-28, 11.5 GB, 7th Seed)
April 21
: at Phoenix Suns (33-30, 5:30 p.m., ESPN and FSAZ)April 22: Orlando Magic (36-26, 8:00 p.m., FSFL and ALT)
April 25: at Oklahoma City Thunder (45-17, 8:00 p.m., ALT and FSOK)
April 26: at Minnesota Timberwolves (26-38, 8:00 p.m., FSNO)
Phoenix Suns (33-30, 13.0 GB, 8th Seed)
April 21
: Denver Nuggets (34-28, 5:30 p.m., ESPN and FSAZ)April 24: at Utah Jazz (33-30, 10:30 p.m., TNT)
April 25: San Antonio Spurs (45-16, 10:30 p.m., ESPN and FSAZ)
Utah Jazz (33-30, 13.0 GB, 9th Seed)
April 21: Orlando Magic (36-26, 10:30 p.m., ESPN and FSSW+)
April 24: Phoenix Suns (33-30, 10:30 p.m., TNT)
April 26: Portland Trail Blazers (28-35, 8:00 p.m., CSNW and FSSW+)
Houston Rockets (32-31, 14 GB, 10th Seed)
April 21: Golden State Warriors (22-39, 8:00 p.m., CSBA and FSH)
April 22: at Miami Heat (45-17, 6:00 p.m., FSH and SUN and NBATV)
April 26: New Orleans Hornets (20-43, 8:00 p.m., CST and FSH)
Clinched Playoff Berths As Of April 20:
San Antonio Spurs
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies
Dallas Mavericks
Disqualified From Playoffs As Of April 20:
Portland Trail Blazers
Minnesota Timberwolves
Golden State Warriors
Sacramento Kings
New Orleans Hornets
Joshua Huffman graduated from Middle Tennessee State University as a marketing major in 2009. He's been a Middle Tennessee resident from 1986-88 and 2001-present. He lived in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin from 1988-01 and for approximately eight months in 2009-10 as he completed a 20-game volunteer position with the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers. His favorite sports organizations include the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Cubs, Nashville Predators and Tennessee Titans. He can be found on Twitter HERE.
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