The NBA regular season is slowly winding down, with most teams looking towards the playoffs. Only a handful of teams are left fighting to make it into the postseason, leaving only seeding left to play for. However, may alternative storylines have a part to play in the final games?
The #1 Seed
The pride attached to being the top team in your conference is the key thing attached to the remaining games for four teams. This is what’s left to play for, for some teams in the NBA.
Eastern Conference
In the East, Mike Budenholzer’s Milwaukee Bucks have been the team to beat all season. Only the Toronto Raptors have come close to matching the Bucks’ win record, which is the best in the league. With Giannis in MVP contention, the Bucks are clear favorites to top the conference. A three-game gap with nine games left to play makes topping the Bucks a difficult task, but the Raptors have the chance to make a statement before the playoffs.
Western Conference
Although the Warriors remain favorites to win the NBA Championship and claim a three-peat, the Denver Nuggets seem dead-set on spoiling the party. The two teams are neck and neck, with the Nuggets half of a game ahead of the Warriors (49-22 to 49-23). Denver has a much tougher schedule than the Warriors.
The two sides play each
Home Court Advantage
Looking towards the playoffs, the possibility of playing one or two series at home is pivotal. Locking up a top-four seeding is the main thing left to play for, for many NBA teams.
Eastern Conference
In the East, there’s very little left to play for when it comes to playoff teams. Philadelphia is a lock for the third seed, while Indiana and Boston are in a battle for the four
Last season, both teams went to seven games in the first-round. The Celtics beat the Bucks at home in Game 7, while the Pacers lost in Cleveland in their final game to be eliminated. This time around, the Pacers are the team without their star player, yet the Celtics almost seem like underdogs. Both teams have tough schedules, but the two games between the Celtics and Pacers are likely going to decide who gets home court advantage come playoff time.
Western Conference
The fight for home-court advantage in the West is astonishing. Excluding the top-two teams in the conference, all six remaining playoff teams have a chance of playing their first series at home. Only three games separate the third-seeded Rockets from the seventh-seeded Clippers, with the Spurs another game back.
The Jazz and Spurs both have two games against playoff opposition remaining while the Clippers, Blazers, Thunder, and Rockets all have four games against playoff teams. There won’t be any intentional losses among these sides given how difficult it is to judge who’ll finish where. Every team will want to avoid the Warriors, but as of right now, it’s too difficult to tell whether they’ll be the first or second seed.
The Tank
It’s almost a question of what’s not left to play for, for these NBA teams. While the bottom three teams seem to be set in stone, there are other teams who may be looking to push towards a top-five pick. The Lakers, Pelicans, and Wizards are all well outside the bottom five teams in the league right now, but a late tank could see them gain a player like Nassir Little or Jarrett Culver. Maybe a top team could take a chance on Sekou Doumbaya or Bol Bol, but that’s a story for another day. The question for these sides is whether to play for pride or for a pick.
Individual Awards
The individual awards are the most important thing in the history books after the Championship itself. For many players in the NBA, this is the main thing left to play for.
MVP
While James Harden is the favorite to win the Most Valuable Player award for the second year running, Giannis Antetokounmpo is right behind him. Providing the two players remain healthy for the remainder of the season, this race should go down to the wire. It speaks levels about the media and advanced stats that Giannis is even in the conversation. If Harden was scoring like this 20 years ago then this wouldn’t be a contest at all. However, with the usage rate stats undermining Harden’s efforts, many are leaning towards Giannis in the MVP race.
Rookie of the Year
I can hardly believe that this is still open for discussion. Yet, Trae Young has been so good after the All-Star break that we have to talk about it. Obviously, Luka Doncic is the front-runner for the award. He was only a couple thousand votes shy of being an All-Star. Doncic has carried the otherwise terrible Dallas Mavericks to some impressive wins.
Just last night, Luka had a triple-double in a win against the Curry-less Warriors. Meanwhile, Trae Young dropped 49 in a 4OT game against the Bulls to put himself back on the map. Young is starting to find his feet with his shot as well as his passing. The two young guards have a lot to be proud of, but this award should belong to Luka Doncic.
What’s the most important thing left to play for, for your NBA team? Let me know in the comments below. Also, check me out on Twitter and on Instagram.