NBA playoff picture, standings, magic numbers: Knicks eyeing home court; Lakers not out of play-in woods

Also, the Suns are on the Jazz's heels for the No. 1 overall seed

If this NBA regular season has been a drag -- and in so many ways it has -- then the stretch-run playoff race could be the last-minute shock of energy we need to shoot us into the postseason. To me, there's no way around it: The play-in tournaments in each conference are a home run. Count me among those hoping this report that the NBA is seeking to permanently adopt this new format comes to fruition.  Normally, this is the time of year when a lot of teams stop putting their best foot forward. If they're out of the running for the No. 8 seed, they go in the tank. If they're a No. 5 or No. 6 seed, they maybe prioritize health and rest at the cost of a seed or two, but now you can't drop to the No. 7 seed without being forced to play your way into the postseason. So there's obvious incentive to keep winning.  With that in mind, a quick reminder on this new play-in format: The top six seeds in each conference are in, with the final two seeds up for grabs via the new play-in tournament. In each conference, No. 7 will play No. 8, with the higher seed having to win one game while the lower seed would have to win two. The winner of that 7 vs. 8 series gets the No. 7 spot, with the loser awaiting the winner of the 9 vs. 10 play-in series to decide the No. 8 seed.