No special theme this week once again, but it’s worth noting that with the NBA’s playoff eligibility waiver deadline having come and gone, with the exception of a few special cases – we’re looking at you Dion Waiters Lakers situation – the rosters as we see them now are what they’ll be when the playoffs roll around.
All that remains now in the final quarter of the season is fine-tuning and jockeying for post-season seeding with what teams have got.
Here are this week’s tiers.
Skill vs. power
James Harden believes Giannis Antetokounmpo’s doesn’t have much skill to it, and Antetokounmpo responded saying his game isn’t just power. No matter which side of the fence you fall on this debate between the two MVPs the one thing that’s undeniable is that their respective teams, the Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks, are the two hottest teams in the league right now with both having won six in a row.
There was rightfully much skepticism over the Rockets’ “micro-ball” approach they went with when they traded Clint Capela, but the results have been very encouraging so far, particularly for Russell Westbrook who looks unshackled and renewed in this new system.
On the other side, the Bucks, a team of length and strength, look poised to crack the 70-win mark and march straight into the Finals.
A Rockets-Bucks Finals matchup of skill vs. power would be really interesting.
[snippet id=4725691]
Contenders
The Toronto Raptors have now lost three straight games for just the second time all season, but with upcoming matchups against the likes of the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings things should course correct sooner than later for the defending champs who at this point just need to get back healthy and see what they can do with a full complement of players.
Like every other team on this list, the Raptors appear to be legitimate contenders again this season, but it’s still hard to definitively peg down what their chances are looking like until we see what they look like all back together.
[snippet id=4740307]
Not as good as originally thought
In particular, the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz are looking pretty disappointing right now.
The Heat entered the all-star break in a malaise and just haven’t been able to break it.
The Sixers have underachieved all season and are now injured as hell – with the prognosis on Ben Simmons appearing to be the most ominous.
And the Jazz have fallen off a cliff after getting red hot to return to prominence from a tepid start to the season, appearing to be a team searching for an identity with Mike Conley in the mix – a trade that has appeared to have gone awry for Utah.
[snippet id=4763101]
Plucky underdogs with good stories
Both the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings are within three games of the No. 8 seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference playoff picture.
The turnaround for the Pelicans is rather obvious with Zion Williamson looking to be every bit the No. 1 overall pick he was, which, alongside a soft scandal down the stretch here will mean the Pelicans will make up ground fast.
The Kings are a bit of a surprise, though. After going through a stretch that saw them lose 15 of 18 games from mid-December to late January, just about everyone (including this very list) had them pegged for dead, but they since wen 11-5 in their next 16 games and hae somehow got back into position to steal a playoff spot.
A similar situation occurred with the Washington Wizards, who are now only four games back of the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards have been mediocre at best this season, but have managed to keep their heads above water now to be within striking distance when it matters most.
[snippet id=3360195]
Playoff fakes and heartbreaks
There are teams we have at this tier who have had a good week or so and deserved the bump. Most notably, the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets.
Everyone else, however, are just teams that think they can make the post-season and are likely in for some heartbreak at the season’s end.
The Grizzlies are chief among these teams with a very tough remaining schedule and teetering on the edge of dropping out of their No. 8 seed with clubs like the Pelicans on their tail.
[relatedlinks]
It’s time to start thinking about the draft
The 2020 NBA Draft is 115 days away. Perhaps knowing how relatively close the draft was factored into the Golden State Warriors’ decision to hold off Steph Curry’s return from injury?
