April 19th, the last day of the 1997-1998 regular season.
All teams will complete their regular season journey today, finalizing the playoff rankings.
Of course, by this day, the top eight rankings in both Eastern and Western Conferences have long been determined.
No matter the outcome of the final game, it will not affect the playoff matchups.
In past seasons, the rankings for eighth, seventh, or even sixth place might only be determined by the last game.
This season, the NBA displays a huge "gap between the rich and the poor," with weak teams being quite weak and mostly in rebuilding phases.
Take the Denver Nuggets, for example, who achieved a dismal record of 11 wins and 71 losses, making it difficult to lose against them.
In the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors only achieved a record of 16 wins and 66 losses, leading to the collapse of Isiah Thomas's team-building philosophy.
