- two wins and one loss by Chicago or Indiana
- one win and two losses by Chicago or Indiana
But another strange and interesting scenario has been identified:
According to Elias, even if the Pacers and Bulls win their last two games, the Heat (39-41) also could make the playoffs if it wins its remaining two games and Milwaukee loses its remaining two games.
Here’s why: If No. 9 Miami and No. 8 Chicago win out and the No. 6 Bucks lose out, all three teams would finish 41-41. The Bucks already have clinched a playoff spot.
But in the head to head matchup among all three teams, Miami had the best record (4-3), with Milwaukee 4-4 and Chicago 3-4.
Per an email from Elias, even though the Bucks already have clinched a playoff berth, that three-team tiebreaker would still be used to resolve a Bucks/Heat/Bulls tie, instead of a two-team Heat/Bulls tiebreaker that would favor Chicago by virtue of its 2-1 season series win against the Heat. As a result, Miami and Milwaukee would be the playoff teams in that scenario.
Definitely an unusual scenario where a team that's clinched a Playoff spot could actually still miss the Playoffs on a sudden need for a tiebreaker. Of course, if this was all a mathematical possibility - which it obviously is - then you'd think that technically speaking, the Bucks can't have clinched yet. In any event, we could see a situation where a team has punched their ticket for the Playoffs, only to have it revoked.