Clippers' Job Done, But What Do They Want to Happen Tonight?

The L.A. Clippers wrapped-up their regular season with a resounding beatdown of the Phoenix Suns in Arizona last night, and now they wait to see their fate.
Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles tweeted Wednesday that the players plan to get together tonight and watch tonight's games in anticipation of who they'll be facing come the first-round of the postseason this weekend. The Clips finished 56-26 and are locked-in to either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. Tonight's action will dictate their future. What should they be watching for?

Regardless of the outcomes this evening, L.A. is destined with a date with either the Spurs, Rockets, Grizzlies or Mavericks. The tiebreaker situations are super complicated, but we're going to try and sort it out right here.

The games pertinent to the Clipper cause are: San Antonio @ New Orleans, Utah @ Houston and Indiana @ Memphis.

If the Spurs beat the Pelicans then the Spurs clinch the No. 2 seed, which locks L.A. into No. 3. That one's pretty simple. No matter what else happens, the Clippers are third if San Antonio wins. That means the Clips either draw Houston or Memphis, as they'd be the only two teams eligible for the No. 6 spot.

If the Spurs, Rockets and Grizzlies all win, then the third-seeded Clippers would take on the sixth-seeded Grizzlies.

If the Spurs lose and the Rockets and Grizzlies both win, then Houston would leapfrog the Clips for the No. 2 seed, San Antonio drops all the way to No. 6, setting up a first-round clash between they and the Clippers.

If the Spurs and Grizzlies both lose, but the Rockets win, then Houston is No. 2, San Antonio is No. 5 and Memphis is No. 6, which means Clippers-Grizzlies in round one.

If all three teams lose tonight, then the Clippers are No. 2, the Spurs No. 3, the Rockets No. 5 and the Grizzlies No. 6. This is the scenario that nets L.A. what must be their preferred destiny, a matchup with Dallas in the first round. The Clippers also get No. 2 and the showdown with the Mavericks if San Antonio and Houston lose, but Memphis wins.

Got it? Me neither.

To summarize how the Clippers fared against these teams during the regular season, Los Angeles went 2-2 against the Grizzlies, 2-2 against the Rockets, 2-2 against the Spurs, and 2-1 against the Mavs.

None of these matchups will be easy, but Dallas seems the weakest of this lot. So, go Pelicans, Jazz and Pacers tonight. Or, just go Pelicans and Jazz, since the Pacers-Grizzlies result won't matter. I'm confusing myself even further the longer this goes on, so this is probably a fine ending point.

Go Clips.