(REUTERS) – The NBA’s playoff picture has started to take shape and with just over a week left in the regular season there promises to be a fight to the finish for teams battling for the last four of 16 post-season spots.
Perennial favourites like the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have long since secured their places in the postseason but the handful of remaining spots may not be decided until the regular season wraps up on April 13.
The Chicago Bulls lead the way among playoff-bound teams in the Eastern Conference, followed by the Miami Heat, Boston, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks.
The Indiana Pacers currently hold the final playoff spot in the East but the Charlotte Bobcats and Milwaukee Bucks are very much in the hunt, both within three games.
In the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs have kept their grip on first place with an NBA-best 58-19 record despite a recent six-game losing skid, including four while All-Star Tim Duncan was out with an ankle injury.
The Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets hold the next four tickets to the postseason, leaving three spots still to be decided.
The Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies currently occupy the final three playoff spots in the West but another team is still very much in the picture.
The Houston Rockets, who have won eight of their last 10 games, are three games back of the final playoff spot with five games left, including three against teams with losing records.
There will be no shortage of storylines when the playoffs finally get under way, including whether Kobe Bryant can lead the Lakers to a third-straight NBA title and if LeBron James, the two-time reigning Most Valuable Player, can capture his maiden championship in his first season with Miami.
The NBA playoffs begin April 16.