NBA Playoff Picture & Standings: Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs & Memphis Grizzlies Fighting for No. 2 Seed in West

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Apr 10, 2015 03:21 PM EDT

The 2014-15 NBA season is coming to a close, and fans have a tighter race in the Western Conference than ever imaginable.

Although the Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference, the second spot is still very much up for grabs. The Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers Memphis Grizzlies and even the San Antonio Spurs can all still get the No. 2 seed in the West.

The Grizzlies currently (see below) hold the No. 2 spot in the West over the Houston Rockets, despite having an identical record as their rival. Why do the Grizzlies stand on top of the Rockets? Simple. They have a superior divisional record, thus hold the tie breaker.

As good as Curry has been this year, one could easily make the case that James Harden is the MVP this season. The Rockets have won three of their last four games, and they will play the Spurs, Pelicans, Jazz and Hornets in their last four games. If the season ended today, the Grizzlies would play the Dallas Mavericks, and the Rockets would play the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.

Speaking of those Spurs, they have been by fire the hottest team over the last month and a half. The Spurs have won their last nine consecutive games, most of them in blowout fashion. As crazy as it may seem, the Spurs can still finish as the No. 2 seed in the West this year. The Spurs are currently 53-26, but sit in sixth place in the Western Conference standings. Point guard Tony Parker appears to be getting healthy for another championship run.

The biggest question mark for the Spurs right now is Brazilian point guard Tiago Splitter who is battling a calf injury.

The Spurs will need a lot of luck to get the No. 2 seed. They will need the Grizzlies and Rockets to lose multiple games down the stretch. The Spurs will play the Rockets, Suns and Pelicans in their final three games. Fortunately for the Spurs, they have beat the Warriors twice this season, and Tim Duncan shows no signs of slowing down. If the season ended today, the Spurs would face the Rockets in the first round.

The Portland Trail Blazers are the big X factor in the West. Currently 51-28, the Trail Blazers own the No. 4 seed in the West, and they have already clinched the Northwest division over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Trail Blazers will play the Jazz, Thunder and Mavericks in their final three games. It's unlikely the Trail Blazers can climb up the standings and overtake both the Rockets and Grizzlies, but Damian Lillard isn't backing down. Last season the Trail Blazers were eliminated by the Spurs in the second round, and we could very well see the two teams collide in the first round this postseason.

With less than a week remaining in the regular season, NBA fans could ask for a better finish.