The stretch run is upon us, and a familiar cast of NBA teams
will likely dominate the conversation over the final seven weeks of the regular
season. But that doesn't mean those are the only story lines worth watching.
The top teams will certainly get plenty of love. Can the
Milwaukee Bucks maintain the top spot in the Eastern Conference? Will the
Golden State Warriors hold off the Denver Nuggets for the No. 1 seed in the
West? How will the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers integrate their big
trade deadline acquisitions?
Teams that aren't at the top of the standings but surrounded
by drama will get a lot of attention, too. Will LeBron James and the Los
Angeles Lakers miss the playoffs? How many more games will Anthony Davis play
for the New Orleans Pelicans? And just how bad will the New York Knicks be?
We're not here to tackle those sorts of questions right now.
Instead, let's dive into five teams that aren't getting a ton of attention but
are still worth your time over the remainder of the regular season.
SACRAMENTO KINGS
The race for the eighth seed in the Western Conference
playoffs will be fierce, and a young, hungry Kings team figures to be in the
thick of it. De'Aaron Fox has emerged as one of the best young point guards in
the league and Buddy Hield as one of the best outside shooters. They have size
and versatility on the perimeter and capable young bigs inside.
Sacramento made moves at the trade deadline in an effort to
end the league's longest playoff drought. The Kings lack veteran
experience but won't back down from anyone as they pursue their first playoff
berth since 2006. And without a first-round pick in this year's draft, there's
no incentive to tank down the stretch. Plus, it would be poetic if they kept
their one-time nemesis Lakers out of the postseason.
INDIANA
PACERS
Perhaps not quite as under-the-radar as others, the Pacers
were essentially written off by everyone outside Indiana after Victor Oladipo's
season-ending injury. The expected free-fall hasn't happened, though, and the
Pacers still occupy third place in the Eastern Conference.
Bojan Bogdanovic has increased his scoring since Oladipo
went down, and Myles Turner anchors a defense with the second-best rating in the
league. The Pacers are still a lock to make the playoffs and likely no worse
than the fifth seed. But do they have enough to stay where they are and crack
the Milwaukee-Toronto-Boston-Philadelphia quartet that everyone has penciled in
as the top four seeds?
BROOKLYN NETS
One of the biggest surprises of the season, the Nets appear
to be the safest bet to make the playoffs among teams in the lower half of the
East chase. The Nets are still relatively young, but they've been consistent
this season. A playoff appearance would be a huge boost for a franchise that
was in salary-cap hell just a few years ago.
D'Angelo Russell matured into an All-Star this season. Caris
LeVert is back after an early-season foot injury that looked like it could cost
him the rest of the year. Spencer Dinwiddie is expected to return from a thumb
injury later this month or in early March. The rebuild in Brooklyn should take
a big step forward this spring.
MIAMI HEAT
As has been the case the past several years, the bottom of
the Eastern Conference playoff race is a bit of a mess. The final two spots
will be filled from a group of five teams, all of whom are currently under
.500. The Heat enter the stretch run tied with the Pistons for eighth, but
they're also just 2½ games behind the sixth-place Nets.
Miami lacks a true No. 1 option but has a better collection
of talent than other teams in the mix like Charlotte, Orlando or Washington.
Goran Dragic is on the verge of returning to the floor after December knee
surgery, which should buoy Miami's late-season push for the playoffs. And the
postseason will be
DALLAS MAVERICKS
The Mavericks find themselves in a tough spot. They don't
have a guaranteed first-round pick in this year's draft. Their selection
transfers to the Hawks if it falls outside the top five, which presents a
dilemma: Tank to improve their lottery odds and hope for a top-five pick, or
try to push for the playoffs and start conveying the many first-rounders they
owe?
It will be interesting to see the direction Dallas takes in
the final seven weeks. Another high draft pick to pair with rookie sensation
Luka Doncic and recently-acquired Kristaps Porzingis may be the smarter
long-term strategy. But Doncic's stellar play could keep the Mavericks out of
the top five selections.
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