NBA's 5 biggest stretch-run storylines ahead of playoffs: Lakers' fate, tight MVP race, fight for East's No. 1

Who will claim the top seed in the East? Will the Lakers miss the play-in entirely?

There are just two weeks remaining in the 2021-22 NBA regular season before the start of the playoffs, and only three teams have claimed postseason berths. The Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies are the only two teams who know which seed they'll have in the playoffs as they've locked up the top two spots in the West, respectively. Other than that, only the Miami Heat have secured a postseason spot in the East after already clinching their division. With under 10 games left for every team in the league, there's plenty of playoff positioning still to be done.

As teams race to the regular season's April 10 finish line, there's plenty of intriguing storylines as we've entered the final leg before the postseason. From which team will be the East's No. 1 seed in the playoffs, to figuring out if the Los Angeles Lakers could miss the play-in tournament entirely, here are the five biggest stretch-run storylines.