With the regular NBA season winding down and ending on Thursday, online sports betting players have to pay strict attention as to where each team is in relation to the playoffs and you have to be aware almost on an hourly basis.

A total of 16 of the 30 teams will contend in the playoffs and this is how it stood going into Monday.

In the East, the match-ups for the first round would be Chicago vs. Philly; Miami vs. New York; Indiana vs. Orlando and Boston vs. Atlanta.

In the West we have San Antonio vs. Utah; Oklahoma City vs. the defending champion Dallas; Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver and the Clippers vs. Memphis.

Chicago will likely retain the number 1 seed in the east but it’s hard to be overly positive about the online betting chances of either New York or Philly moving forward.

New York has had one of those crazy up and down seasons and with the injury to Amar’e Stoudemire, the Knicks have been extremely inconsistent. They have rode on the back of Carmelo Anthony but you would much rather enter the second season playing well as a unit rather than making it all about a one-man show.

Philadelphia opened the season hot as a pistol but they had a very favorable early schedule and have totally fallen apart in the last few weeks.

This league is about star power and Philly doesn’t have a true ‘go-to’ guy when the going gets tough. When the leading scorer, in this case Sweet Lou Williams, comes off the bench, it kind of speaks volumes about the squad.

Out West it is not just wild, it’s a wild card wrapped in a wild child, surrounded by a tornado.

With just days left, the playoff picture is an absolute mess and there are teams that still have a shot to sneak into the postseason.

For the Suns to win the 8th spot, they must win Tuesday vs. the Jazz and a win Thursday vs. San Antonio or a loss by Utah vs. Blazers would give them the 8th and finale spot.

Got that? Good.

For Utah to win the 8th spot they have to beat the Suns Tuesday. And then Utah has to hope the Suns lose Thursday to San Antonio and Utah has to beat the Blazers.

Obviously the West is wide open and just about any one of 4 teams capable of getting to the NBA Finals. They are OKC, San Antonio, the Lakers and Memphis.

One logical loser moving forward in the East is Orlando. Coach Stan Van Gundy has pretty much lost the team over the Dwight Howard fiasco and Howard has been deemed unfit to play after having surgery on his back.

The truth of the matter is he didn’t want to play for Van Gundy and Orlando missed a huge chance to get anything of value for him.

He is now damaged goods, both mentally and physically and it’s very hard to see Orlando getting passed Indiana, who is playing great ball and they play the right way.

Stay tuned to your online sports book as things solidify.